House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer has announced that the governors of Illinois, Minnesota, and New York will testify on June 12, 2025. The hearing will focus on these states’ sanctuary policies that protect criminal illegal aliens from immigration enforcement.
Chairman Comer stated, “Sanctuary policies only provide sanctuaries for criminal illegal aliens. Former President Biden created the worst border crisis in U.S. history and allowed criminal illegal aliens to flood our communities. President Trump has ended this crisis and now we have the most secure borders in decades. The Trump Administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable.”
In January 2025, Chairman Comer initiated an investigation into the impact of sanctuary jurisdictions on public safety and federal immigration enforcement. Sanctuary jurisdictions are defined as “states, counties or cities that put some limits on how much they are willing to cooperate with federal agencies’ efforts to deport” illegal aliens. These areas choose which laws to follow in order to shield removable aliens, particularly criminals, from federal law enforcement.
The Oversight Committee previously held a hearing in March with four sanctuary mayors: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
In April, Chairman Comer expanded the investigation by requesting documents and communications related to sanctuary policies from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
