The Democratic mayors of New York, Denver, Boston and Chicago are expected to face withering scrutiny from House Republicans at a hearing on Wednesday over sanctuary cities and whether they are thwarting President Trump’s deportation efforts.

Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have accused blue-city mayors of putting their residents in harm’s way by not assisting in federal immigration investigations. Mr. Trump has threatened to withhold federal money from jurisdictions he deems uncooperative, and he recently filed a lawsuit accusing leaders in Chicago of thwarting the administration’s immigration policies.

The committee, which is stocked with Republican firebrands like Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, promoted the mayors’ appearance with a sizzle reel set to dramatic music that spliced clips of the mayors’ defending their immigration policies with video of tent cities, criminals with guns and the Declaration of Independence up in flames.

The term “sanctuary city” is not a legal designation but a catchall phrase to describe jurisdictions that limit cooperation with the federal immigration authorities. Democrats have long championed these restrictions as a way to create safe and welcoming environments for immigrants. But they have come under increasing pressure as migrants started showing up in greater numbers — sometimes sent by Republican governors in other states — at their cities’ shelters.

The hearing could be a minefield for the mayors. They will need to defend themselves and their policies while also saying that they follow all federal laws.

The mayors also face the risk of making the kind of viral stumbles that derailed the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania when they were called before Congress in December 2023.