(The Center Square) – In defending the state’s migrant sanctuary policies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he’d rather be arrested than to have Illinois residents arrested improperly.
Joining the governors of New York and Minnesota Thursday in front of the U.S. House Oversight Committee, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, asked the three governors for their response to threats of being arrested for allegedly impeding federal immigration enforcement with migrant sanctuary policies.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said “go for it.” Pritzker said the Trump administration “can try.”
“I will stand in the way of [Trump border czar] Tom Homan going after people who don’t deserve to be frightened in their communities, who don’t deserve to be threatened or terrorized, I would rather that he come and arrested me than to do that to the people of my state,” Pritzker said.
Democrats say President Donald Trump isn’t trying to protect the country, he’s trying to divide the country. Republicans say Trump is focused on bringing back law and order, keeping communities safe and securing the border.
Pritzker urged for “comprehensive immigration reform.” Republicans said new laws weren’t needed to secure the border.
Asked by U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, about the taxpayer cost of subsidizing non-citizens in Illinois, Pritzker couldn’t say.
“Are you talking about the federal government,” Pritzker said, “who have failed?”
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, noted a pattern from Illinois leaders.
“I noticed that in the state of Illinois, you guys don’t really keep track of your money because I asked your mayor in Chicago a similar question about a month ago and he didn’t have an answer,” Donalds said. “It’s quite interesting. I think it might be an Illinois problem.”
Illinois Republicans say the taxpayer cost to subsidize non-citizens is several billion dollars. For taxpayer funded health care alone, Illinois spent more than $1.6 billion in three years.
Illinois U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, defended Pritzker during the hearing and equated Trump’s actions to coming from the “authoritarian playbook.”
“This hearing is a witch hunt against the governors that run successful cities,” she said.
Illinois is the subject of two pending lawsuits from the U.S. Department of Justice. One challenges Illinois law that prohibits local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials with civil detention orders.
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