Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will testify before the House Oversight Committee next month regarding their states’ sanctuary city policies.

“Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul will testify on June 12 at a @GOPoversight hearing on their states’ sanctuary policies that shield criminal illegal aliens from immigration enforcement,” House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) announced.

The Hill reports:

The hearing, which is slated for June 12, comes after Comer called on the three governors to testify and provide documents and communications connected to their respective states’ sanctuary cities policies last month.

“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,” Comer said in a statement.

“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,” he continued.

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In March, the Democratic mayors of New York, Boston, Denver and Chicago testified before the committee in a high-profile hearing over their statuses as sanctuary cities.

From The Washington Times:

Avi Small, a spokesman for Ms. Hochul, said that the Empire State’s governor had voluntarily agreed to testify before the panel, and planned to “reiterate what she’s said dozens of times.”

“New York cooperates with federal immigration officials to deport violent criminals, but absolutely does not support cruel actions that tear families apart or rip babies away from their parents,” Mr. Small said.

The hearing comes after the Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to crack down on illegal immigration. Late last month, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that explicitly focused on sanctuary cities.

His order required that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

The order stipulated that if sanctuary cities don’t make changes to comply with federal law, Ms. Bondi and Ms. Noem have the authority to “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States.”

 

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