Nathan Howard/Sipa USA/Alamy Live NewsPritzker defended the safety and security of sanctuary policies at the House Oversight Committee, while calling Trump’s use of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests an “abuse of power.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker defended the state’s sanctuary state laws and the Illinois TRUST Act during a congressional hearing Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul emphasized the safety and security of sanctuary policies.
In opening remarks, he shared his family’s immigration journey and the need for the federal government to intervene in “safe and compassionate immigration policy.”
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“Illinois follows the law, but let me be clear, we expect the federal government to follow the law, too,” Pritzker said. “We will not participate in abuses of power. We will not violate court orders. We will not ignore the Constitution. We will not defy the Supreme Court. We will not take away people’s rights to peacefully protest.”
The hearing comes as a series of demonstrations have erupted in response to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown raids in recent weeks across the nation.
It’s part of an ongoing investigation into sanctuary policies following the administration’s February lawsuit to overturn the TRUST Act and Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance. Trump claims states and cities are violating federal law.
It’s the same committee Mayor Brandon Johnson testified before in March. Johnson pushed back against accusations that sanctuary policies were harmful to the country and defended protections for undocumented immigrants.
“Every violent crime is devastating but scapegoating entire communities is not only misleading, it is unjust and it is beneath us,” Johnson said.
The TRUST Act was signed into law by Republican Governor Bruce Rauner in 2017. The policy prohibits local police from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless ordered by a judge.
At the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Pritzker called Trump’s use of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests an “abuse of power.”
“I will stand in the way of Tom Homan going after people who don’t deserve to be frightened in their communities, who don’t deserve to be threatened, terrorized,” Pritzker said. “I would rather he came and arrested me than do that to the people of my state.”
The governors were also grilled on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in their states, with Pritzker clarifying that the TRUST Act requires state agencies to cooperate with ICE when it comes to criminal arrest warrants.
“It is clear that immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than the rest of our population,” said Pritzker.
Meanwhile, immigrant rights groups and city officials are calling for investigations into local police cooperating with ICE, protections for municipal ID programs and banning arrests at courtrooms and immigration offices.
They’ve also criticized efforts to roll back protections in sanctuary states like Illinois.
“For years, [sanctuary city policies] has provided peace of mind to our diverse immigrant communities that if they need help in an emergency or are a victim of a crime,” The National Immigrant Justice Center said in a statement. “They can call for help without fear of local authorities who assume that non-English speakers are not entitled to the same protections as U.S. citizens.”
Similarly, Pritzker emphasized the need for implementing safe immigration policies in the U.S. and the federal government’s responsibility to do so.
“We have had people who have raised families, are paying taxes, who have had to flee,” Pritzker said. “These are people who are bringing culture and art to our communities.”
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