Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota, from left, J.B. Pritzker, governor of Illinois, and Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, throughout a Home Oversight and Accountability Committee listening to in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. For Republicans, the listening to is an opportunity to amplify a difficulty necessary to President Donald Trump and maybe regain management of the sanctuary narrative after DHS printed an inventory of jurisdictions it recognized as hostile to immigration regulation enforcement, after which pulled it down after strenuous accuracy objections from focused communities and the pinnacle of the Nationwide Sheriffs Affiliation. Photographer: Allison Robbert/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos
Bloomberg/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos/Bloomberg
cover caption
toggle caption
Bloomberg/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos/Bloomberg
Throughout a combative Home committee listening to on immigration coverage ThursdayRepublicans and Democrats supplied competing portraits of a United States beneath siege. GOP lawmakers described migrants with out authorized standing as a risk to the nation’s sovereignty and public security, made worse by Democratic state legal guidelines.
“Sanctuary insurance policies don’t defend People,” stated Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the Home Committee on Oversight and Authorities Reform. “They defend prison unlawful aliens.”
That narrative clashed with the view supplied by Democrats, who described the Trump administration’s migrant sweeps and deployment of Nationwide Guard and Marine models in Los Angeles with out approval by state officers as a direct risk to civil liberties and the rule of regulation.
“Due to Trump, no American metropolis or state is secure as he lays this groundwork to take his militarization playbook nationwide,” stated Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass.
Thursday’s listening to featured testimony by — and frequent grilling of — three distinguished Democratic state governors, together with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a vice presidential candidate in 2024 who has emerged as certainly one of his social gathering’s nationwide leaders.
“Everybody in America deserves due course of,” Walz stated, throughout opening remarks. “We stay in a free nation the place folks shouldn’t be locked up for exercising their fundamental constitutional rights.”
Walz, together with governors Kathy Hochul of New York and JB Pritzker of Illinois, described migrants, together with these with out authorized standing, as typically onerous working, secure residents of their communities.
However Republicans sparred aggressively with the Democratic governors, blasting blue state insurance policies that restrict native regulation enforcement’s position in immigration sweeps, whereas permitting some migrants with out authorized standing within the U.S. to obtain healthcare, function motor autos, and ship their youngsters to highschool.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican of New York, who’s considering a run for governor, used the listening to to lambast Hochul. Stefanik prompt Democratic state insurance policies made it simpler for migrants to keep away from arrest earlier than they dedicated violent crimes.
“These crimes are horrific,” Hochul acknowledged, throughout one heated alternate. “In all of those instances we’d work with ICE to take away them.”
“They’re strolling on the streets due to your insurance policies,” Stefanik stated.
🚨🚨🚨
Kathy Hochul imploding stay in realtime
And we’re only a few rounds in!
I’ve had many, many witnesses through the years, nobody weaker than Kathy Hochul.
The Worst Governor in America.
TUNE IN!
– Elise Stefanik (@elisestefanik) June 12, 2025
Research present migrants commit fewer crimes than U.S. residents, a truth Democrats raised repeatedly throughout the listening to. General crime has additionally been falling steadily throughout the U.S., together with in “blue” cities and states.
However Republican lawmakers pointed repeatedly to high-profile instances the place migrants dedicated violent crimes. Democrats described these as remoted incidents that may very well be dealt with by native regulation enforcement.
“Somebody who commits homicide ought to be held accountable,” stated Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “We try this within the state of Illinois.”
“And also you assume they need to have been welcomed into our communities earlier than they did (commit crimes)?” requested Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.
“I do not know how one can inform earlier than someone commits against the law,” Pritzker replied.
“You safe the border and do not let unlawful aliens come into our communities,” Gill stated.
Concern of harmful migrants vs. concern of “militarized” immigration coverage
Nationwide Guard troops stand exterior the Metropolitan Detention Middle, MDC on June 08 in Los Angeles. Tensions within the metropolis stay excessive after the Trump administration referred to as within the Nationwide Guard towards the desires of metropolis leaders following two days of clashes with police throughout a collection of immigration raids.
Spencer Platt/Getty Photos/Getty Photos North America
cover caption
toggle caption
Spencer Platt/Getty Photos/Getty Photos North America
The Home listening to performed out towards the backdrop of on-going unrest in a small space of Los Angeles, sparked by escalating raids by U.S. Immigration, and Customs Enforcement brokers.
Whereas Republicans targeted lots of their questions on public security, and remoted incidents of violence or gang exercise by migrants, Democrats described the conflict over immigration as a disaster manufactured by the Trump administration.
“ICE confirmed up in Chicago almost instantly (after Trump took workplace) and commenced terrorizing our neighborhoods, our faculties and oldsters,” Pritzker stated.
The America I imagine in is a nation of legal guidelines and a nation of immigrants — abandoning both threatens the very basis on which our nice nation was constructed.
Watch my full remarks to the Home Oversight Committee: pic.twitter.com/eH0wQR6vnS
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 12, 2025
Pritzker and Hochul additionally pointed to their very own households’ histories as immigrants to the U.S., with Pritzker’s Jewish ancestors arriving as refugees from Ukraine and Hochul’s household migrating from Eire.
“The America I imagine in is a nation of legal guidelines and a nation of immigrants. Abandoning both threatens the very basis on which our nice nation was constructed,” Hochul stated.
