Four ‘sanctuary city’ mayors prep for grilling in Congress this week: ‘Held accountable’

The mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City are prepping for a high-stakes hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government.

“Sanctuary mayors owe the American people an explanation for city policies that jeopardize public safety and violate federal immigration law by releasing dangerous criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets,” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a press release announcing the hearings, which are set to take place Wednesday.

The hearing, which will take place in front of a full committee, comes as so-called sanctuary cities, jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, have come under increasing scrutiny since President Donald Trump regained control of the White House in January.

While Trump has seemingly made quick work of the situation at the southern border, attention has turned to his promised mass deportation efforts, a process that can be helped along if state and local agencies work hand-in-hand with federal authorities.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. (Getty Images)

But some cities have for years now taken the opposite approach, refusing to comply with federal enforcement measures such as detainers placed on illegal immigrants by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Those sanctuary policies have often generated controversy, most notably in the wake of a handful of high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants who were allowed to duck deportation proceedings.

“These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies,” Comer said in the release. “They also endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.”

Now the mayors of four of the biggest sanctuary cities will attempt to justify their policies in front of what could be a hostile Congress, with one report from Politico noting that the mayors will be seeking to sidestep the kind of “embarrassing” episode that plagued several Ivy League presidents who were testifying about antisemitism on their campuses in 2023.

The report notes that all four mayors have been working with advisers and lawyers and prepping to redact documents ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, with the thought of University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill being ousted in the aftermath of her appearance at the 2023 hearing fresh in mind as they seek to avoid similar missteps.

New York Mayor Eric Adams. (NYC.GOV)

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The hearing could sway the political futures of Chicago’s Brandon Johnson, New York’s Eric Adams, Boston’s Michelle Wu, and Denver’s Mike Johnston.

Yet the Politico report notes that not all of the mayors will be so quick to cast aside their support for sanctuary laws.

“I just want to make sure that people understand that [this is] a city that has been established by immigrants and migrants who were formerly enslaved,” Johnson told reporters last week when speaking of Chicago. “It’s the global capital of the world, and we’re going to continue to show up at our very best.”

Adams, meanwhile, may try to tout his recent cooperation, including his decision to sign an executive order that allowed ICE agents back into New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex.

That move drew the ire of Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., who threatened to have Adams removed from office, though she later backtracked from that plan for the time being and instead vowed reforms aimed at reigning in the mayor’s power in the city.

Just how those answers sit with members of the committee remains to be seen, though Comer promised that the four mayors would be pressed for answers.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, during a hearing in Washington, D.C.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“The policies in Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the American people,” Comer said in the release. “This is unacceptable and their leaders must be held accountable. We will press these mayors for answers and examine measures to enforce compliance with federal immigration law.”