Mayor Brandon Johnson faces what is anticipated to be an aggressive assault on Chicago’s sanctuary metropolis coverage at a U.S. Home Oversight Committee listening to in the present day in Washington, D.C.
Johnson will seem earlier than the Committee on Oversight and Authorities Reform at 9 a.m. Chicago time to defend town’s regulation that, partly, restricts police from detaining folks solely based mostly on their immigration standing — a coverage that has been in place since 1985.
The listening to will function five-minute opening statements from the chair, rating member and every witness, adopted by five-minute rounds of questioning from every of the members current, in accordance with a spokesperson of a committee member.
The committee — made up of 26 Republicans and 21 Democrats — options a few of the Home of Representatives’ most well-known and controversial firebrands, from Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert to Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Jasmine Crockett.
Johnson is anticipated to seem alongside Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Adams has worked to curry favor with Trump and refrain from criticizing him; after assembly with border czar Tom Homan, Adams mentioned he would roll back New York City’s sanctuary city law to permit ICE brokers on Rikers Island, a jail facility. Earlier this month, Trump’s Division of Justice ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges in opposition to Adams.
What’s Chicago’s sanctuary metropolis regulation?
Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance means “the Metropolis is not going to ask about your immigration standing, disclose that info to authorities, or, most significantly, deny you Metropolis providers.”
Chicago has been a sanctuary city since March 1985, through an govt order from Mayor Harold Washington that has since been made into an ordinance.
The Division of Justice filed a lawsuit final month in opposition to town of Chicago, the state of Illinois and Prepare dinner County over the sanctuary legal guidelines that restrict cooperation with immigration authorities. The lawsuit was filed in federal court docket in Illinois, accusing these jurisdictions of “making it harder for, and intentionally impeding, federal immigration officers’ means to hold out their obligations.”
Johnson responded that Chicago will stand by its insurance policies. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker mentioned the state’s legal guidelines defending undocumented immigrants adjust to federal regulation.
Throughout the first Trump administration, the Justice Division tried to withhold funding from Illinois and Chicago, however these efforts had been defeated in federal court docket.
How has Johnson ready for the listening to?
Johnson landed in Washington Sunday morning for 3 days of intense preparation for his testimony. Metropolis Corridor has employed a Washington regulation agency with expertise in serving to witnesses prepare for congressional hearings and navigate unfamiliar terrain.
Former Mayors Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot are amongst these which have been advising Johnson on tips on how to deal with questioning from a few of Congress’s most outspoken, far-right representatives on the listening to that many view as political theater in a campaign in opposition to Democratic insurance policies.
Johnson has pulled no punches in opposition to Lightfoot or Emanuel prior to now, nor Lightfoot in opposition to Johnson. All three of them signify totally different factors on the Democratic political spectrum.
However everybody concerned seems to be placing native rivalries apart to strike a supportive tone as town prepares for the principle stage.
“There’s a really small membership of mayors, and all of them, regardless of their disagreements, all of them love this metropolis,” Johnson senior adviser Jason Lee mentioned in an interview with WBEZ Friday. “And when town is beneath the microscope or beneath assault in any approach, it’s not a shock that they might reply when known as upon to assist that.”
Johnson additionally sought recommendation final week from a bunch of neighborhood organizers, together with civil rights attorneys and immigration advocates. Lee didn’t identify the teams concerned however mentioned they need to see Johnson combat for federal assets whereas defending in opposition to assaults.
What is going to Johnson say — and what’s at stake for him?
The unlikely forged of characters banding collectively to assist Johnson may very well be one indicator of how the listening to is perhaps a political boon. Within the face of non-public assaults, Johnson might seem sympathetic to his critics, and a robust efficiency might rating him factors again house.
Johnson’s demeanor might be “dignified, respectful, calm,” Lee mentioned. He argued Chicago mayors are “uniquely geared up” to cope with private assaults, given town’s rough-and-tumble political panorama.
“The tenor and tone of Chicago politics is famous,” Lee mentioned. “I feel it was Harold Washington who mentioned, ‘Politics ain’t beanbag.’ So, I feel Brandon Johnson is definitely greater than ready to cope with what might come.”
Lee mentioned whereas Republican governors who’ve made Chicago a goal have labored to sow “misunderstanding” about Chicago’s sanctuary legal guidelines, the listening to is a chance to reshape public opinion about what the coverage does and doesn’t do.
But it surely stays to be seen whether or not the present lawsuit by the Trump administration in opposition to town will restrict what Johnson or town’s legal professional, Mary Richardson-Lowry, imagine he can say on the listening to.
“Definitely it’s a consideration,” Lee mentioned. “Of the 4 mayors, he’s the one one being sued by the Division of Justice over these similar points. There’s additionally laws being proposed in Congress that might recall funding from sanctuary cities so there are specific authorized and coverage implications round the subject material that elements into this testimony.”
What’s at stake for Chicago?
Congress can’t go a regulation to finish Chicago’s sanctuary metropolis standing.
However it could attempt to affect public sentiment and coverage by attempting to fiscally damage town and state — Illinois has its personal sanctuary regulation — by reducing off federal funds. That’s already beginning to occur, with the feds withholding $1.88 billion of federal money the state was anticipating.
For probably the most half, this listening to is political theater, with the mayors there to be punching baggage.
It was created to place the mayors on the defensive over their metropolis sanctuary insurance policies and switch public opinion in opposition to them. A film trailer-style video launched final week set the stage, with scenes connecting the just lately arrived migrants with crime in every of the 4 cities. There’s an ominous a part of the video the place the aim of the listening to is spelled out: “The mayor of CHICAGO might be held accountable on March 5.”
Based on committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., the mayors might be requested to testify “to look at their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.” Comer earlier began a probe of those sanctuary cities to find out the impression of such insurance policies “on public security and federal immigration enforcement.”
Chicago and New York are large sanctuary cities and apparent targets. The mayors are showing voluntarily. If they’d refused, the committee has the ability to subpoena them to seem.
Moreover, Trump is threatening to close off federal funds from sanctuary cities. A refusal to testify would give Trump a straightforward excuse to try this.
