Mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York defend 'sanctuary' policies in congressional hearing

Republicans have repeatedly highlighted a handful of brutal crimes committed by immigrants who crossed illegally into the U.S., with Rep. James Comer opening the hearings by saying the policies "only create sanctuary for criminals."

But the Democratic mayors — Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver and Eric Adams of New York — pushed back hard, even as they seemed to carefully avoid using the term "sanctuary."

Republicans, they said, were trying to paint their cities as overrun by criminal immigrants even as crime was falling. The mayors said a key to safety is creating cities where residents feel comfortable reporting crimes and working with police.

"We know there are myths about these laws. But we must not let mischaracterizations and fearmongering obscure the reality that Chicago's crime rates are trending down," Johnson told the committee in a hearing room packed with reporters and onlookers. "We still have a long way to go, but sensationalizing tragedy in the name of political expediency is not governing. It's grandstanding."

There's no legal definition for sanctuary city policies, but they generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers. Courts have repeatedly upheld the legality of sanctuary laws.

Denver's Johnston said that crime decreased when the city was faced with an influx of immigrants, many bussed from border states by Republican politicians. Like the other mayors, he said the onus should be on Congress to update federal immigration laws.

"If Denver can find a way to put aside our ideological differences long enough to manage a crisis we didn't choose or create, it seems only fair to ask that the body that is actually charged with solving this national problem — this Congress — can finally commit to do the same," he said.

Adams got some of the only praise from Republican lawmakers, with Comer thanking him for working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Adams' critics say his collaboration is part of an effort to wriggle out of federal corruption charges, though even before Trump was elected, the mayor called on city lawmakers to allow New York police to work more with ICE. The Trump administration ordered prosecutors to drop the case on the grounds that it was distracting Adams from helping the immigration crackdown and hindering his reelection campaign.

About two hours into the hearing, Democratic lawmakers began questioning him sharply over his work with the Trump administration and Justice Department orders to drop the charges.

"Are you selling out New Yorkers to save yourself from prosecution?" asked Rep. Robert Garcia, of California.

"There's no deal, no quid pro quo. And I did nothing wrong," Adams said.

Immigration law, the mayors said, is a federal responsibility, and the attempt to put that responsibility on local law enforcement simply makes communities distrust the police and others they may need to call for help. Trump's crackdown, the mayors said, has terrified immigrants, many of them in the U.S. legally.

"I spoke with pastors whose pews are half-empty on Sundays," said Wu, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan. "Doctors whose patients are missing appointments, teachers whose students aren't coming to class, neighbors afraid to report crimes in their communities, and victims of violence who won't call the police."

"This federal administration is making hard working, taxpaying, God-fearing residents afraid to live their lives," she said.

In communities that don't cooperate on immigration, ICE agents go in to track down people after their release. ICE argues that this is dangerous and strains resources.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan grilled Johnston for a Denver arrest that he said required ICE agents to apprehend a man recently released from local custody, and mocked Johnston's insistence that his city was safe.

"That's a lie because it was not safer for the ICE agents who are part of your community. No way was it safer," he said.

Republicans also repeatedly raised the possibility that officials in sanctuary cities could face prosecution for breaking federal law, with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida saying she would be referring the mayors to the Justice Department for investigation.

"Your policies are hurting the American people," she told them.

Legal experts say that while charges could theoretically be filed, it is highly unlikely they would result in convictions.

The legality of sanctuary laws often hinge on the distinction between two types of warrants.

Sanctuary policies typically require local law enforcement to honor criminal warrants, which are signed by judges and allow agents to forcibly enter homes and make arrests related to alleged crimes.

Immigration agents, though, more often have administrative warrants, which are issued by ICE and not always recognized by local jurisdictions. Those warrants can be used to detain someone for violating immigration law but don't let agents enter homes without permission.