Mayor Brandon Johnson defended Chicago as a “proud city of immigrants” while facing attacks on sanctuary city policy during a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

In his opening remarks, Johnson was forceful as he pushed back on false claims that Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance leads to increased crime.

“We do not harbor criminals. We arrest them,” Johnson told the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform while touting the investments his administration has made in public safety. He noted homicides were trending down in 2024. The city’s protections for people without legal status help improve trust to ensure crimes can be solved, Johnson said.

“Put simply, any actions that amplify fears of deportations make Chicago more dangerous.”

The mayor rebounded from a somewhat stilted start to his opening remarks, building energy toward a conclusion that sounds a lot like a reelection stump speech.

“As mayor, I’m building a Chicago that embodies the dream of my father when he came from Sallis, Mississippi, during the Second Migration, a Chicago that’s investing in housing, health care, jobs and education,” Johnson says, hitting a familiar refrain on a building “a better, stronger and much safer Chicago.”

“We are ready to partner with you on the measures we know promote trust and create sustainable public safety. To the people of Chicago, and all the hardworking people across this great nation, these values are our North Star; the drinking gourd we follow to a better future. We will not go back.”

Johnson had one testy exchange with Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, who asked Johnson to define Chicago’s 40-year-old sanctuary city policy.

“You have welcomed 51,648 aliens to your sanctuary city. So I ask you — sanctuary from what?” Perry said.

“If you’re referring to the number of individuals that were bused by Gov. Abbott without any coordination — the 52,000 individuals that were seeking asylum — those individuals were bused to us,” Johnson said.

“That transfer of individuals was the result of the governor of Texas--not the result of a Welcoming City ordinance.”

Perry was just getting started.

“So, you don’t care about federal law enforcement policies. Only local policies.”

Johnson stood his ground.

“We comply with all laws. What I do care about is this body — Washington — passing comprehensive immigration reform,” Chicago’s mayor said.

The hearing began at 9 a.m. CT with five-minute opening statements from the chair, ranking member and each witness. Johnson was introduced by U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., whose district includes Elgin, where Johnson grew up and spent his childhood. Krishnamoorthi told the now-familiar story of how Johnson was “one of 10 children” of parents who “inspired him to become a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools,” then run for office as Cook County commissioner, then as mayor of Chicago.

Krishnamoorthi said Johnson has “dedicated his life to public service” and that he was “proud to introduce” the mayor of the nation’s greatest city.

The committee — made up of 26 Republicans and 21 Democrats — features some of the House of Representatives’ most well-known and controversial firebrands, from Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert to Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Jasmine Crockett.

What to know

What is Chicago’s sanctuary city law?

Chicago has been a sanctuary city since March 1985 , via an executive order from Mayor Harold Washington that has since been made into an ordinance.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit last month against the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois and Cook County over the sanctuary laws that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Illinois, accusing those jurisdictions of “making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities.”

Johnson responded that Chicago will stand by its policies. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the state’s laws protecting undocumented immigrants comply with federal law.

During the first Trump administration, the Justice Department tried to withhold funding from Illinois and Chicago, but those efforts were defeated in federal court.

What’s at stake for Chicago?

Congress can’t pass a law to end Chicago’s sanctuary city status.

But it can try to influence public sentiment and policy by trying to fiscally ruin the city and state — Illinois has its own sanctuary law — by cutting off federal funds. That’s already starting to happen, with the feds withholding $1.88 billion of federal money the state was expecting.

For the most part, this hearing is political theater, with the mayors there to be punching bags.

It was created to put the mayors on the defensive over their city sanctuary policies and turn public opinion against them. A movie trailer-style video released last week set the stage, with scenes connecting the recently arrived migrants with crime in each of the four cities. There is an ominous part of the video where the purpose of the hearing is spelled out: “The mayor of CHICAGO will be held accountable on March 5.”

According to committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., the mayors will be asked to testify “to examine their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.” Comer earlier started a probe of these sanctuary cities to determine the impact of such policies “on public safety and federal immigration enforcement.”

Chicago and New York are big sanctuary cities and obvious targets. The mayors are appearing voluntarily. If they had refused, the committee has the power to subpoena them to appear.

Additionally, Trump is threatening to shut off federal funds from sanctuary cities. A refusal to testify would give Trump an easy excuse to do that.