The House Oversight Committee is hearing from the high-profile Democratic governors of Illinois, Minnesota and New York on Thursday during a timely hearing about their states' immigration policies that some members of the Republican-led committee call "sanctuary" policies that they claim shield criminal illegal aliens from immigration enforcement.
JB Pritzker of Illinois, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York are appearing at a closely watched hearing that comes as another Democratic-led state -- California -- is grappling with a slew of immigration-related protests that triggered President Donald Trump to deploy U.S. Marines and the National Guard to the area.
House Oversight Chair James Comer requested in April that these Democratic governors testify, claiming that the "Trump administration is taking decisive action to deport criminal illegal aliens from our nation, but reckless sanctuary states like Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are actively seeking to obstruct federal immigration enforcement."
"The governors of these states must explain why they are prioritizing the protection of criminal illegal aliens over the safety of U.S. citizens, and they must be held accountable," Comer said in a media advisory for the upcoming hearing.
Sanctuary states still enforce U.S. federal immigration laws, but the term often refers to a limited collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while enacting policies that are more favorable to undocumented people.
The Democratic governors have been preparing to testify and getting ready to defend their records on immigration and public safety, according to hearing material reviewed by ABC News. They'll also highlight how their states cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
"Despite the rhetoric of Republicans in Congress, Governor Pritzker will share facts about how this bipartisan public safety law is fully compliant with federal law and ensures law enforcement can focus on doing their jobs well," a spokesperson for the Illinois governor said in a statement ahead of the hearing.
Also ahead of the hearing, the state of Illinois retained outside counsel to provide expertise in order to respond to the committee's requests, the spokesperson said, claiming that "congressional Republicans are wasting taxpayer dollars all to find out that Illinois has always followed the law."
A spokesperson for the Democratic Governors Association also suggested that their leaders were focused on governing rather than spending time on "political stunts."
"While Republicans in D.C. spend their time pulling political stunts, Democratic governors are busy getting real things done for their states, lowering costs, and keeping people safe," Johanna Warshaw, a spokesperson for the group, said in a statement.
In March, the Oversight Committee held another newsy hearing with "sanctuary city" mayors including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Those leaders defended their actions on immigration enforcement while Republicans on the committee accused them of increasing crime by defying Trump administration immigration policies.
On Wednesday, House Oversight Republicans released a three-minute digital ad to show "how sanctuary polices do not protect Americans," which features buzzy news broadcasts about immigration-adjacent crimes, testimony from mayors earlier this spring at the "sanctuary cities" House hearing and video clips of Pritzker, Walz and Hochul speaking about immigration policy.
"Sanctuary governors are shielding CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, then pretending the consequences don't exist. Tomorrow Hochul, Walz, and Pritzker will be in the hot seat as their policies cause CHAOS in their states. Here's what they don't want you to see," the Committee's official account posted on X.