Gov. JB Pritzker will join the Democratic governors of New York and Minnesota next month in testifying before a congressional committee about their states’ policies on cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
Pritzker’s office confirmed Tuesday that the governor would “voluntarily appear” before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on June 12 after its chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, announced in a news release that Pritzker would testify alongside New York’s Kathy Hochul and Minnesota’s Tim Walz.
“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 his release. “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,”
Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough said in a statement Tuesday that the governor would join the committee “to discuss his track record on public safety and the implementation of bipartisan state laws.”
Last month, Comer sent a letter inviting the governors to appear before the committee May 15 to discuss their states’ “sanctuary policies.” The request came about a month after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with the mayors of New York, Boston and Denver, testified before the same committee about similar policies in their cities.
Johnson touted Chicago’s downward trend in crime in his opening statement. He went on to argue throughout the six-hour session that the city’s long-standing policy blocking local police from assisting in federal immigration enforcement in fact makes communities safer.
In his initial letter to the governors, Comer labeled Illinois “a sanctuary jurisdiction that refuses to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” and wrote: “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. This threatens Americans’ safety.”
In support of his claims, Comer pointed to state laws that prohibit local police from participating in immigration enforcement activities and contracting with federal authorities to detain immigrants on their behalf.
Republicans in Washington have been trying to strike down progressive immigration policies such as those in Illinois ever since Trump took office in January.
Trump has attempted to withhold federal funding from jurisdictions with such policies and the Justice Department in February sued Illinois, Chicago and Cook County over their laws. So far, Trump’s defunding efforts have been held up in the courts.
Last week, Trump’s administration filed a lawsuit alleging the state of Illinois is undermining federal immigration laws with a measure passed by the General Assembly last year aimed at protecting the privacy of workers who aren’t U.S. citizens.
On Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to hold a news conference in Springfield to “highlight how sanctuary policies in Illinois have unleashed violence on American citizens — including rape, sexual assault, murder, shoplifting, and more — while shielding illegal aliens responsible from facing consequence,” according to Noem’s office.
Pritzker’s office denied the state’s immigration policies contradict federal law.
Illinois law “is fully compliant with federal law,” Gough said, noting that one of the laws Comer singled out “was bipartisan and signed into law by a Republican,” Pritzker’s predecessor, Bruce Rauner.
“Despite the rhetoric of Republicans in Congress, this public safety law ensures law enforcement can focus on doing their jobs well while empowering all members of the public, regardless of immigration status, to feel comfortable calling police officers and emergency services if they are in need of help,” Gough said.
Appearing before the congressional committee offers Pritzker another opportunity to present himself on the national stage as a foil to Trump as the governor courts attention ahead of potential bids for a third term as governor next year and for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028.
Pritzker recently made his first appearance on Fox News, garnered widespread media attention — and backlash from the GOP — for a fiery speech to New Hampshire Democrats in which he called for mass protests in response to Trump and Republican policies, and mused with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about possible nicknames the president might give him.
