The Democratic mayors of New York, Denver, Boston and Chicago are expected to face withering scrutiny on Wednesday from House Republicans, who will accuse them of thwarting President Trump’s deportation efforts and putting their residents in harm’s way.
Mr. Trump has threatened to withhold federal money from jurisdictions he deems uncooperative with his deportation plans, and he recently filed a lawsuit accusing leaders in Chicago of thwarting his immigration policies. The mayors will be forced to walk a fine line, defending their cities’ sanctuary policies while trying to avoid viral moments that could be used to attack them and other Democrats in future campaigns.
Here’s what we’re covering:
The committee: Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are expected to echo Mr. Trump’s attacks during the hearing. The committee, which is led by James Comer and stocked with Republican firebrands including Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, promoted the mayors’ appearance with a sizzle reel set to dramatic music and video clips of tent cities, criminals with guns and the Declaration of Independence up in flames.
What’s at stake: Republicans have been critical of any community deemed a “sanctuary city,” a catchall phrase to describe jurisdictions that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Democrats have long championed these restrictions as a way to create safe and welcoming communities for immigrants. But such policies have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as migrants arrive in those cities in greater numbers, straining resources.
Difficult task: The hearing could be a minefield for the four mayors. They will need to defend themselves and their policies, while also stating that they follow all federal laws. The leaders will try to sidestep the kind of stumbles that derailed the presidents of Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, who lost their jobs after testifying before Congress about campus antisemitism.
Special challenges: Both parties are expected to scrutinize Mayor Eric Adams of New York, a former police officer who has echoed Republican criticism of sanctuary policies. The Trump administration has moved to drop federal corruption charges against Mr. Adams, and the prosecutor previously overseeing the case suggested that the mayor had offered to help with the administration’s immigration efforts in exchange for leniency, a charge his lawyers deny.
