Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is “evaluating” a request from the Republican chairperson of the U.S. House Oversight Committee about the state’s laws designed to protect undocumented immigrants, a spokesperson said Thursday. U.S. Rep James Comer (R-Kentucky), the chair of the committee, demanded that Pritzker appear at a May 15 congressional hearing alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul “about their states’ reckless sanctuary policies.” “Harboring aliens is a federal crime,” Comer said in a
social media post . “Sanctuary policies championed by these governors jeopardize the safety of Americans and defy U.S. immigration laws. President Trump is preparing to take executive action to withhold federal funding from sanctuary states. Working alongside President Trump, Congress must ensure federal immigration law is enforced and that criminal aliens are swiftly removed from our communities.”
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Pritzker, who has yet to announce whether he will run for a third term as Illinois governor and is widely considered to be weighing a run for president in 2028, responded with derision to Comer’s demand. “Let’s call this what this is: another partisan dog and pony show,” spokesperson Alex Gough said in a statement. “The governor is evaluating whether he should take time from his busy schedule serving the people of Illinois to educate the House GOP on these matters.” Comer also demanded all documents and communications related to Illinois’ “sanctuary status,” including those between non-governmental organizations and state and federal officials. The state law that prohibits state and local law enforcement agents from assisting federal immigration agents, known as the Trust Act, “is fully compliant with federal law and ensures law enforcement can focus on doing their actual jobs while empowering all members of the public — regardless of immigration status — to feel comfortable calling law enforcement to seek help, report crimes and cooperate in investigations,” Gough said. The Trust Act was signed into law by former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, and approved by a bipartisan vote of the General Assembly in 2017. Comer’s demand for Pritzker, Walz and Hochul to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee came hours after President Donald Trump took to social media to once again threaten to yank federal funding from self-proclaimed sanctuary cities and states. “No more Sanctuary Cities!” Trump wrote. “They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!” Undocumented immigrants do not commit a disproportionate number of crimes compared to those with legal status, according to dozens of studies. One of the first acts by Trump after taking office was to issue an executive order stripping self-proclaimed sanctuary cities of all federal funding. That order has been blocked by a federal judge. In February, the Trump administration sued state, city and county officials to overturn laws designed to protect undocumented immigrants by prohibiting state local law enforcement officials from helping federal agents. That suit remains pending. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Pritzker have repeatedly said Chicago and Illinois will continue to prohibit local and state law enforcement agents from helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deport undocumented residents unless they have been convicted of a crime. Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance compiles with all state and federal laws, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. “Mayor Johnson’s administration will vigorously defend Chicagoans from any unconstitutional or unlawful attempts to strip residents of the funding and services that they are entitled to,” said Cassio Mendoza, Johnson’s press secretary. Chicago expects to receive approximately $3.5 billion in new and existing federal grant dollars in 2025, officials said. The city’s 2025 budget is $17.1 billion. In addition, the Chicago Transit Authority expects to receive $1.9 billion from the federal government to extend the Red Line south to 130th Street and the Chicago Public Schools received $1.3 billion from the federal government during the 2024-25 academic year. In March, Johnson testified in front of the House Oversight Committee about the city’s self-proclaimed sanctuary city status alongside Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Johnson fiercely defended Chicago’s protections for undocumented immigrants, saying that the city’s Welcoming City ordinance makes all Chicagoans safer. Comer closely questioned each of the mayors about whether their police departments would turn over a criminal to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Johnson said the Chicago Police Department would do so, as long as those agents had “a criminal warrant.” State law enforcement agents and Chicago police have always compiled with judicial orders executed by federal agents. “Because the House Republicans were not able to land anything against Chicago, they are trying the same performative routine again with the governor this time,” Johnson said in a statement released by his office. “We know these policies keep our neighbors safe and it was an honor to stand up for Chicago’s values on a national stage. I know that if Governor Pritzker decides to attend, he will defend our state and our people with pride.” The Trust Act and Welcoming City ordinance prohibits state and city employees and officials from responding to requests from agencies, including so-called ICE detainers, which seek to have local officials hold undocumented immigrants after completing their sentences until federal agents can take them into custody and start deportation proceedings. Those happen without a court order.
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