The national debate over immigration enforcement is about to take a high-stakes turn, as the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee prepares to question three Democratic governors at the center of the sanctuary state controversy. On June 12, Governors JB Pritzker (Illinois), Tim Walz (Minnesota), and Kathy Hochul (New York) will testify before Congress, facing scrutiny over their states’ refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
This hearing, announced Tuesday by Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), escalates a growing federal-state standoff over how to handle illegal immigration—and what consequences, if any, come from resisting federal law enforcement mandates.
Chairman Comer framed the hearing in stark terms, accusing sanctuary states of actively obstructing efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens.
“Sanctuary policies only provide sanctuaries for criminal illegal aliens,” Comer stated. “These governors must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens.”
He praised President Trump’s revived immigration strategy, claiming that under the current administration, “we have the most secure borders in decades,” and signaled that cooperation with ICE is now expected—not optional.
This latest hearing follows months of aggressive oversight activity. Since January, Comer’s committee has launched investigations into both city- and state-level sanctuary jurisdictions. In March, the committee heard testimony from the mayors of several major sanctuary cities—including Chicago, New York, Denver, and Boston—where Comer’s GOP colleagues argued that local refusal to cooperate with ICE contributed to violent crime, drug trafficking, and overwhelmed public resources.
That hearing produced fiery exchanges and deepened the partisan divide over immigration enforcement. The governors’ testimony is expected to do the same—but on an even larger stage.
In April, Comer expanded the probe to the state level, issuing document requests and subpoenas for communications from the offices of Governors Hochul, Pritzker, and Walz. Each leads a state that has implemented statewide non-cooperation policies with ICE detainers, which critics argue allow dangerous individuals to remain in the country despite federal removal orders.
President Trump added fuel to the fire in January by signing a new executive order aimed at punishing sanctuary jurisdictions. The order:
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Withholds federal funding from jurisdictions that fail to comply with federal immigration law;
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Mandates a national “non-compliance” list of cities and states that refuse ICE cooperation;
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Instructs agencies to identify and suspend federal grants as penalties.
However, on April 24, a federal judge issued an injunction blocking the administration from pulling funds—at least temporarily—citing constitutional concerns over executive overreach and federalism.
For Governors Hochul, Pritzker, and Walz, the hearing will be an opportunity to defend their states’ policies as humane, legally grounded, and essential for maintaining trust in immigrant communities. But they’ll also be on the defensive—forced to explain high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants released in defiance of ICE detainer requests and mounting pressure over strained public services.
For Comer and House Republicans, the hearing is a platform to elevate border security as a defining 2026 campaign issue and expose what they see as willful defiance of federal law.
