New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to testify before Congress on June 12th to explain the state of New York’s position and implementation of federal immigration enforcement policies. This move reflects increasing concerns among Republican members of Congress regarding “sanctuary policies” and further focuses on whether the state government is obstructing federal law enforcement actions.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee has issued a notice requesting Governor Hochul, along with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, to attend a hearing. All three individuals are Democrats and lead states classified as “sanctuary states,” where local law enforcement agencies limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities under specific circumstances.
Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, James Comer, criticized sanctuary policies for enabling illegal immigration and stated that the hearing aims to clarify whether the state government’s political stance affects public safety.
On the other hand, Governor Hochul emphasized that the state government supports deporting illegal immigrants involved in violent crimes but opposes evictions without proper judicial authorization. A spokesperson for Hochul stated that New York “will cooperate with federal agencies under judicial orders,” but will not participate in indiscriminate checks on law-abiding families.
This hearing is part of Congress’s investigation into local sanctuary policies. In March of this year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other city mayors also attended similar hearings to testify on their immigration policies and cooperation with federal law enforcement.