Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will testify before Congress on the city's "Sanctuary City" status, and will be "pressed" for information on the policies.
Johnson, along with mayors from three other large U.S. cities, has confirmed on March 5 he will attend a committee hearing chaired by Rep. James Comer, a GOP congressman from Kentucky who oversees the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
"We thank Committee members for the upcoming conversation on this important issue, and for the opportunity for Mayor Johnson to represent Chicago alongside Mayors from Boston, Denver, and New York," he said in a statement.
Last week, Comer announced an investigation into the policies of sanctuary jurisdictions, plus their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement, according to a news release.
Laws in these cities limit local law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement actions, including Chicago's "Welcoming City" ordinance. Chicago's ordinance also prohibits denial of city services to someone based on their immigration status, and has been a frequent target of the Trump administration.
Comer also requested documents related to their cities’ sanctuary policies and invited them to testify.
“The policies in Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the American people. 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," Comer said in a statement.
Local
Chicago has been in the spotlight in recent weeks because the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted operations in the city and suburbs. In December, Border Czar Tom Homan said Chicago would be "ground zero" for mass deportations.
ICE officials have not confirmed how many arrests they've made in the Chicago area related to the Trump administration's deportation efforts, but have said they've made hundreds of arrests per day during stepped up enforcement efforts.
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