Washington-Democratic Mayors of Denver, Chicago, Boston and New York were grilled for many hours in relation to the so-called Sanctura’s city policies at the Congress Departure on Wednesday, when President Donald Trump pushes his aggressive immigration program and threatens to punish cities that are not consistent.
While the mayor of Philadelphia Cherrelle L. Parker was not asked to appear in front of the Congress Committee, Philadelphia’s policy reflects those from several cities that were asked there, emphasizing what city residents try to balance the threat of the White House to draw federal financing with fears of immigrants and supporters.
Wednesday’s hearing before the Committee of the Chamber’s supervision appeared when the Trump administration increased the enforcement of immigration law together with the prosecutor general Pam Bondi promising the end of federal subsidies for the cities of the sanctuary and the constant threats from the “border tsar” Toman’s “border tsar” if they do not apply.
“The mayors here, everyone leads the so -called city of the sanctuary,” said the chairman of the James Comer committee (R., Ky.) He said to open the trial “And let’s be clear: These policies create only sanctuaries for criminals.”
Parker avoided the GOP attack
While the Democrats emphasized the virtues of immigration and the unreal weight that the enforcement of immigration would cause local law enforcement agencies, it was tense for the mayors a few hours in balmy places.
Republicans accused leaders of protecting undocumented immigrants, excessive extraction of social services for them and hindering federal authorities.
In one of the more explosive moments of rep. Nancy Mace (R., SC) said that the mayors had “blood on their hands” for federal resistance to facilitate immigrants.
She asked each of them: “Do you hate Donald Trump more than you love America? Yes or not? “
The mayors defended their rules, emphasizing that they follow all the regulations and arguing that all federal cuts would cause more public security damage than isolated incidents of immigrants.
David J. Bier, Immigration Director at the Cato Institute, testified at the hearing that research shows jurisdictions that do not honor detainees or take the rules of the sanctuary, are safer and more economically rich than those who do it.
The marked purpose of the hearing was to “examine” the cities of the sanctuary, places that deliberately limit cooperation with the federal immigration enforcement, but the day has developed, as the auditions are known, with a enormous dose of political grandstand.
The Committee of the Chamber run by Republicans was the same who questioned the leaders of the universities about combating anti -Semitism on campuses a year ago. The commonly perceived Inquisition caused the final resignation of President Penn Liz Magill and others.
Even before starting the questions, they were issued. The trial was promoted by means of video assembly for sinister music of tent cities, criminals with weapons and graphics of the declaration of independence on fire.
“Who chose you? People who came illegally or people living in Chicago? “Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa.) He asked the mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson. “Who is served?”
“The inhabitants of Chicago chose me,” said Johnson. “And we serve all the inhabitants of Chicago.”
The US representative Summer Lee, the only democrat of Pennsylvania in the committee, called the interrogation “setting off against the mayors of some of the largest cities of our nation in the part of the crusade against the city of Trump.”
Lee noticed that cities are based on lawsuits if they cooperate with ICE and violate the resident’s constitutional rights.
“Republicans erect mayors between a stone and a difficult place,” said Lee, who represents the district covering part of Pittsburgh. “If they work with ICE, they risk violating the constitutional rights of their own inhabitants and openly to expensive court disputes. But if they do not bid on Trump, they are threatened with the loss of federal funds. “
Parker’s more still approach
Parker has adopted a much more subdued approach compared to some of her friends mayor testifying on Wednesday.
She presented a chance to re -assess the status of Philadelphia as a city of the sanctuary in December and gave a useful response to her position on the continuation of politics.
Despite this, according to the letter of law, an executive order in 2016 codifying the status of the city’s sanctuary is still in place.
But this issue is becoming more and more unstable in the second term of Trump, and even some democrats in the committee seemed to recognize the public interest in limiting illegal immigration.
“At the moment we are struggling with this, there is a tension between this Congress body to act and your responsibility, nobly taken for providing residents and guests with a safe environment for your city,” said US representative Stephen Lynch (D., Mass.) To the mayors at the hearing. “How to reconcile the tension between these two?”
Defend their cities
For mayors in balmy places, Wednesday also assured a moment to defend their cities and respond to Trump’s insults on the national stage – their versions “bad things are happening in Philadelphia.”
Johnson, rejected Trump’s comment in 2020 that Chicago was “worse than Afghanistan”, noticing his third highest GDP in the country and a consistent ranking of the highest place to live.
The mayor of Boston Michelle Wu clapped on attacks that she did not manage the money in her city well, noticing the rating of Boston Triple Bond and that this is one of the safest cities in America.
“The false narrative is that immigrants are criminals … It actually undermines the security in our communities,” she said in response to the interrogation line from Rep. Paula Gosara (R., Ariz.), One of the heaviest congress hawks.
“If you want to provide us with safety, go through the reform of the weapon, stop cutting the medicaid, stop cutting tests on cancer, stop cutting out the benefits for veterans,” Wu said.
Among their full defense of their cities, the mayors clearly hesitated whether to operate the politically accused the term “city of the sanctuary”.
Wu called Boston a “safe” city, and Johnson repeatedly remembered Chicago “Welcome City Ordinance”.
The satisfied mayor of New York Eric Adams was distinguished by the fact that he not only defended his city, but should he still lead them.
Several Democrats called for resignation and wondered if his openness to Trump’s immigration policy was the result of the pressure of the White House in exchange for rejecting his legal problems. In mid -February, the Department of Justice of Trump ordered the American prosecutor’s office for the southern district of New York Drop the allegations of corruption against him.
“There is no contract. No Quid Pro Quo – Adams told the legislators.
And he was the most friendly witness of the Mayor of Republicans, it often seems that he agrees with them to the influence of immigration and praise of Trump’s work to drain border intersections.
“A reduction by 90%, they could do it,” said Adams. “I see it on my streets every day.”
Personnel writers Jeff Gammage and Anna Orso contribution to this article.
