Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight Committee, wants Democrat Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Kathy Hochul of New York to testify before Congress about immigration policies in their states, Politico reported.
Comer invited them to testify at a hearing next month on sanctuary states, which limit cooperation between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement.
Last month, the mayors of Boston, New York, Denver, and Chicago testified before the committee.
"Sanctuary jurisdictions and their obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities," Comer wrote in letters to the governors, obtained by Politico. "This threatens Americans' safety."
Comer also requested governors to provide him with documents about their immigration policies.
Hochul told reporters Thursday she was willing to testify.
"We just received notification of their interest in my opinion on state laws, which I'm happy to share with them," Hochul said. "I told people like Tom Homan that I will continue doing what our practice has been from beginning, which is to cooperate with ICE when they have a warrant or they have evidence that there's a person who's committed a serious crime."
A spokesperson for Pritzker dismissed Comer's request as a "partisan dog and pony show" but told Politico the governor was weighing whether to testify.
Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for Walz, said this was all politics.
"Governor Walz is happy to work with Congress, but since Minnesota is not a sanctuary state, one can't help but wonder if this is, perhaps, politically motivated," Tschann told Politico.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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