By BEN SZALINSKI
Capitol News Illinois
[email protected]
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker will tell a congressional committee Thursday that America’s immigration problems are a result of a bipartisan failure to reform the country’s immigration system and secure the country’s borders.
In more than five pages of written testimony submitted by the governor to the U.S. House Oversight Committee ahead of hours of questions from lawmakers, Pritzker detailed how Illinois responded to the migrant crisis and the rationale for Illinois’ “sanctuary state” law.
“We can have a secure border while also having real immigration pathways that allow people to come here, work, and support themselves on a reasonable timeline,” Pritzker wrote. “Our prosperity and our national security demand it.”
Pritzker was summoned to Washington, D.C. alongside fellow Democratic Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York at the behest of congressional Republicans seeking answers about sanctuary state polices.
“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,” committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky, said in a statement earlier this year.
Pritzker’s appearance before the committee follows Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who detailed Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance to the legislative panel in March. It also comes after days of protests, including in Chicago, over President Donald Trump’s administration’s tactics for arresting and deporting noncitizens.
At the center of Thursday’s hearing is Illinois’ TRUST Act – the 2017 law signed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner that prohibits Illinois law enforcement from detaining a person based solely on their immigration status. Pritzker wrote in his testimony that this law does not interfere with federal immigration laws.
“Illinois follows federal and state laws and will continue to do so,” Pritzker wrote. “We expect the federal government to do the same. Federal officials should operate in Illinois, as they do in every state, to enforce federal immigration policy, but we will not divert our limited resources and officers to do the job of the federal government when it is not in the best interest of our state.”
However, Pritzker reiterated, as he has publicly in Illinois several times since November’s election, that he supports deporting violent people who are in the U.S. without legal permission. He clarified that there are situations where Illinois law enforcement can assist federal immigration authorities.
“When the federal government has a judge-signed warrant for a criminal’s arrest, we work to assist them, regardless of that criminal’s immigration status,” Pritzker wrote.
The governor wrote Illinois’ TRUST Act is an important tool to foster a trusting relationship between immigrants living here illegally and police that pays off in solving crimes.
Pritzker’s written testimony also sought to push back on allegations that sanctuary polices have made Chicago and Illinois more dangerous. The governor detailed his administration’s investments in policing and gun violence prevention, particularly as Illinois dealt with an influx of migrants.
Illinois saw more than 50,000 asylum seekers and other migrants arrive in the state beginning in August 2022, Pritzker wrote, mostly via transportation provided by Texas. Migrant arrivals in Illinois subsided in early 2024, but during that time, Pritzker often begged President Joe Biden’s administration to step up efforts for immigration reform and quell the influx of migrants into Texas.
The arrivals put an “unprecedented strain” on the state, Pritzker wrote. The state, Chicago and Cook County spent hundreds of millions of dollars in response to the influx.
“Illinois filled in the gaps where federal immigration policy failed, ensuring that people were not starving on our streets as they were processed through our broken immigration system, sought asylum, applied for other forms of immigration relief, or went through removal proceedings,” Pritzker said.
Migrants without housing are now in Chicago’s homeless shelters as the surge of arrivals has subsided, Pritzker wrote. However, Illinois is still set to spend $40 million on Welcoming Centers in fiscal year 2026, according to the budget awaiting Pritzker’s signature.
Though he wrote “both sides are to blame” for the nation’s immigration issues, Pritzker wrote “some border state governors and mayors” chose to “treat people as pawns.” Pritzker and Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott frequently butted heads during the migrant surge.
Pritzker wrote he hopes the hearing “will be a productive step towards much needed bipartisan reforms.”
But the hearing could also involve political fireworks. Pritzker has been one of the most outspoken Democrats against Trump, even invoking comparisons to Nazi Germany during his February State of the State address. He’s also believed to be interested in inheriting the White House from Trump.
Trump’s administration has fired back and criticized Illinois’ immigration laws. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Springfield last month to bash Pritzker on immigration.
Pritzker will face some of Congress’ most outspoken personalities on both sides of the aisle who have been assigned to the committee, including Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Schaumburg Democrat, is also on the committee. Krishnamoorthi is running for Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Pritzker endorsed Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the primary race. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
