Former vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz and two other Democratic governors are slated to testify before the House Oversight Committee next month on their states’ implementation of sanctuary city policies.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, Kentucky Republican, announced on Tuesday that Mr. Walz, who is governor of Minnesota, will testify alongside Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on June 12.
The trio will testify on their respective administrations’ policies “that shield criminal illegal aliens” from federal immigration laws.
Mr. Comer said in a statement that while the Trump administration has taken steps to shore up the crisis at the southern border generated under the former President Biden, “reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.”
“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,” he said.
Avi Small, a spokesman for Ms. Hochul, said that the Empire State’s governor had voluntarily agreed to testify before the panel, and planned to “reiterate what she’s said dozens of times.”
“New York cooperates with federal immigration officials to deport violent criminals, but absolutely does not support cruel actions that tear families apart or rip babies away from their parents,” Mr. Small said.
The hearing comes after the Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to crack down on illegal immigration. Late last month, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that explicitly focused on sanctuary cities.
His order required that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
The order stipulated that if sanctuary cities don’t make changes to comply with federal law, Ms. Bondi and Ms. Noem have the authority to “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States.”
It also comes after a similar hearing in March where the mayors of New York, Boston, Chicago and Denver testified on their respective sanctuary city policies.
The Washington Times has reached out to the offices of Mr. Walz and Mr. Pritzker for comment.
