Mayor Brandon Johnson agrees to testify before Congress on Chicago's sanctuary city policies
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson will travel to Washington, D.C., next month to testify at a congressional hearing on Chicago's status as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent letters Johnson and the mayors for three other major cities – Boston, Denver, and New York – last week, asking them to testify before the committee and hand over all documents and communications related to their city's sanctuary policies.
Johnson's office on Wednesday announced he would attend the committee's hearing on March 5.
"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," Johnson's office said in a statement.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also has said she plans to cooperate with the committee's request to testify.
Comer's invitation said the committee is "investigating sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States and their impact on public safety and the effectiveness of federal efforts to enforce the immigration laws of the United States."
Chicago and the other cities all have adopted laws limiting when local law enforcement agencies can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Comer posted a statement on X on Wednesday, saying all four mayors have confirmed they will attend the hearing.
"Sanctuary mayors have prioritized criminal illegal aliens over the American people. They owe Americans an explanation for their policies that jeopardize public safety and violate federal immigration law by releasing dangerous criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets," Comer wrote. "These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies. They also endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. We will press these mayors for answers and examine measures to enforce compliance with federal immigration law."
Johnson has defended Chicago's sanctuary city policies, saying that both the local Welcoming City Ordinance and a state law known as the Illinois TRUST Act, which provide protections for undocumented immigrants, are the "law of the land."
"Regardless of who's in the White House, Chicago is a city that opens its arms to people from around the globe. We will continue to protect civil and human rights, and we welcome all individuals and families who want to work, live, and thrive here in our beloved city," Johnson said last month. "We are a welcoming city, we're proud of that work, and we'll continue to make sure that we're protecting the interests of all working people in this city."
Both Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance and the Illinois TRUST Act largely prohibit state, county, and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement activities.
Chicago's ordinance prohibits police from arresting someone solely because of their immigration status. It also prohibits the city from asking someone about their immigration status, disclosing person's immigration status to federal authorities, or cooperating with an investigation of someone's immigration status unless ordered to do so by a court or federal law. The city also may not deny services or benefits to someone because of their citizenship status.
In cases where an undocumented immigrant has been arrested, ICE officials might issue a detainer asking police to hold them for 48 hours until ICE agents can take them into federal custody, but the Illinois TRUST Act prohibits such cooperation except in cases where the person faces a federal criminal arrest warrant.
Johnson's agreement to testify at the congressional hearing on sanctuary cities marked a change in tone since last week, when he declined to immediately say if he would go to Capitol Hill, and called Comer's request "disingenuous."
"The people of Chicago want to have a far broader conversation in this moment," Johnson said. "I am open to having conversations about how we can build a better, stronger, safer Chicago with anyone. I'm not quite sure if this is the forum in which that could take place, but you know, we're going to review that letter."
On Tuesday, Johnson said his team was working with the other mayors about the trip and the other requests being made by Comer's committee.
"We're coordinating with three other cities, because they didn't just ask for the city of Chicago, they didn't just ask for me to show up and testify. There are a series of documents that they are requesting," he said.
Johnson's office hasn't clarified if they'll provide the documents requested by the committee, but the city's chief attorney, Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said, "we'll be discussing with them specifically issues around what it is that they have requested of us, and we don't anticipate being obstructionist in any way."
Comer has requested all documents and communications pertaining to sanctuary status, including those between the cities, state officials and non-governmental organizations.
CNN reported newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi will continue with efforts from her office to "pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities." The Trump administration has made it clear federal funding is on the line for city and organizations that don't align with White House policies.
Meantime, the mayor's agreement to testify before Congress about Chicago's sanctuary city policies comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been releasing some detained migrants as space in its detention system has reached capacity, following a surge in arrests under President Trump, internal government statistics obtained by CBS News show.
As of Tuesday morning, ICE detention facilities were at 109% capacity, with nearly 42,000 migrants in custody, despite having an official capacity of 38,511 beds in its network of for-profit prisons and county jails, according to the internal Department of Homeland Security data. More than half of those in ICE custody were initially arrested along the southern border, the figures show.
In a statement to CBS News, ICE acknowledged that its "enhanced" operations have yielded "a significant number of arrests of criminal aliens that require greater detention capacity."
