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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Representative James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced an investigation into sanctuary jurisdictions on Monday.
Why It Matters
Sanctuary jurisdictions decline to voluntarily assist federal immigration enforcement authorities, making it harder for undocumented migrants to be arrested and deported.
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The investigation comes as President Donald Trump's administration has begun cracking down on illegal immigration. Following Trump's victory in November's election, some mayors of sanctuary cities vowed to fight deportation efforts.
Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign and Americans largely support his mass deportation plans.
A *New York Times/*Ipsos poll carried out from January 2 to 10 found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat support such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported "deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records." Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the immigration system is broken.
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What To Know
In letters sent to the Democratic mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City on Monday, Comer requested documents and communications related to these cities' sanctuary policies.
He invited the mayors to testify at a committee hearing on February 11.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement to Newsweek that congressional Republicans should focus on fixing the broken immigration system while he and other leaders "focus on running the cities that manage the consequences of their failure to act."
A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Newsweek that his office "will review the letter and respond accordingly."
Newsweek has contacted Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for comment via email. Comer's office and the White House have also been contacted for comment via email.
"Sanctuary jurisdictions and their misguided and obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe," Comer wrote in the letters.
The letter states that there are about 12 states and hundreds of cities and counties across the U.S. with sanctuary laws or policies.
But four cities "stand out in their abject failure to comply with federal law: Chicago, New York City, Denver, and Boston," Comer wrote. "Citizens of all four cities have suffered due to sanctuary policies."
What People Are Saying
Comer wrote in the letters to the mayors: "On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump took decisive actions to restore the rule of law with respect to immigration enforcement.
"In addition to the efforts of the Trump Administration to ensure federal immigration enforcement can proceed unimpeded, Congress must determine whether further legislation is necessary to enhance border security and public safety. It is imperative that federal immigration law is enforced and that criminal aliens are swiftly removed from our communities."
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement to Newsweek: "The most helpful thing Congressional Republicans could do right now is fix our broken immigration system. While they work on that, we will focus on running the cities that manage the consequences of their failure to act."
Kayla Mamelak Altus, press secretary to New York Mayor Eric Adams, told Newsweek: "Mayor Adams has made clear that New York City is committed to working with our federal partners to fix our broken immigration system and focus on the small number of people who are entering our localities and committing violent crimes. We will review the letter and respond accordingly."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in an interview in December that Boston's Trust Act, which prohibits Boston police from detaining or arresting individuals solely for immigration enforcement purposes, has been "settled law for the last 10 years" and passed with the support of law enforcement.
"If all of a sudden you have community members or a certain subsect of the community feeling like it's not safe for them to call 911 when they need help, share information or report a crime when they have information, that affects everyone's safety across our community," she said.
Suggestions that Boston's law is "shielding those who are committing crimes" or providing loopholes "couldn't be further from the truth," she said.
"We treat every instance of criminal activity or violence or harm the same way, with the same accountability and relentless focus on bringing justice to the victims and to those who have been impacted. But that doesn't mean that we are going to do the work of immigration or detention at the federal level, because we know how to keep our communities safe best here."
What's Next
Comer's letters requested documents and information covering the period from January 1 to the present to be delivered "as soon as possible but no later" than February 10.
He invited the four mayors to testify at the hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on February 11, but it was not immediately clear if any of the mayors planned to do so.
Update 1/29/25, 5 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comments from Denver Mayor Mike Johnson and a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
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