House Republicans are officially launching an investigation into several major sanctuary cities that have policies in place restricting cooperation between local authorities and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Monday investigations into Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City regarding their sanctuary laws’ impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement. Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, delivered letters to each mayor, requesting relevant documents and communications into their sanctuary policies, and called on them to testify before his committee.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 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,” Comer stated. “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.”
The House investigation follows a new investigative unit within the Trump administration against sanctuary jurisdictions and pledges by border czar Tom Homan to refer to prosecution anyone unlawfully harboring an illegal migrant.
Comer’s letters — delivered to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and New York City Mayor Eric Adams — request the mayors hand over internal communication and documentation relating to their sanctuary city policies by Feb. 10. The letters additionally ask that they testify before the committee on Feb. 11.
The House investigation follows the creation of the Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group within the Department of Justice. The working group’s mission is to identify state and local laws or policies that are “inconsistent” with federal immigration initiatives and, when necessary, challenge those laws in court.
Homan — who is leading the Trump administration’s deportation operations — previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he will hold responsible those that are knowingly concealing and harboring an illegal migrant from ICE apprehension.
“Now these sanctuary cities cannot assist – ok, that’s fine. They can stand aside, that’s fine, but they cannot cross that line,” Homan said. “If they cross that line, we’ll be asking the attorney’s office to consider prosecution.”
While there is no official definition for a “sanctuary” policy or law, the label generally describes any rule that restricts local officials from helping or otherwise cooperating with federal immigration authorities. While state and local officials are largely not required to get involved in federal immigration matters, the Trump administration has cautioned that blatant obstruction is against the law.
Soon after Trump emerged victorious in the 2024 presidential election, Johnson declared that he opposed changes to Chicago’s sanctuary law and the city council recently voted down an attempt to roll back the strict policy. Boston lawmakers also voted to reaffirm their city’s sanctuary status not long after Trump’s victory.
While Johnston initially suggested he would deploy police to county lines to keep ICE agents from entering Denver and said he’d be willing to be jailed over his opposition to Trump’s immigration agenda, he has since appeared more open to the idea of working with ICE when it comes to illegal migrants with serious criminal histories.
Meanwhile, Adams has consistently called on New York City officials to cooperate more with ICE, but argues he’s handicapped by the city’s laws.
It’s not immediately clear how cooperative the four mayors will be for the House investigation. None of the mayors were able to immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
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