Mayor Mike Johnston, referred to as earlier than a congressional committee Wednesday to reply for Denver’s standing as a so-called sanctuary metropolis, mentioned offering refuge for the tens of 1000’s of migrants who arrived in Denver was each a requirement of his job and an ethical obligation.
A number of Republican members of the U.S. Home Committee on Oversight and Authorities Reform, nonetheless, mentioned Johnston — together with the mayors of Chicago, New York and Boston — ought to be prosecuted and jailed for violating federal legislation that prohibits “harboring unlawful aliens.”
4 hours into the heated listening to, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, mentioned she would request that U.S. Legal professional Common Pam Bondi examine the mayors. A referral from a member of Congress doesn’t assure the U.S. Division of Justice will examine.
“I’m not doing that in an effort to bully you guys however I do imagine that your insurance policies are hurting the American individuals,” she mentioned. “In the event you guys proceed doing what you’re doing, you aren’t going to assist anybody. You’re going to harm extra individuals and that’s precisely why I’m uninterested in it. The American persons are uninterested in it.”
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, referenced a earlier remark by Johnston that the Denver mayor was keen to go to jail to stop immigration raids at colleges and church buildings in his metropolis.
“Certainly one of you mentioned you have been keen to go to jail,” Higgins mentioned on the finish of fiery remarks concerning the risks of unlawful immigration. “We’d provide you with that chance.”
Johnston confronted a number of rounds of powerful questioning, together with from U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, after he described how Denver housed and fed lots of the 42,000 migrants who arrived within the metropolis in an 18-month interval starting in December 2022.
“We’re every entitled to our personal opinion about what ought to occur on the border,” Johnston mentioned in his opening remarks to the Republican-controlled committee. “However that was not the query going through Denver. The query Denver confronted is: what’s going to you do with a mother and two youngsters dropped on the streets of our metropolis with no heat garments, no meals and no place to remain?”
Johnston additionally quoted from the Bible as he spoke to the panel.
“As mayor I’ve to guard the well being and security of everybody in our metropolis. As a person of religion I’ve an ethical obligation to look after these in want,” he mentioned. “As scripture says, ‘For I used to be hungry and also you gave me one thing to eat. I used to be thirsty, you gave me one thing to drink. I used to be a stranger and also you invited me in.’ In order that’s what we did.”
On the peak of the migration to Denver, 10 or 11 buses have been arriving per day, carrying a whole lot of individuals, lots of them ladies and kids in T-shirts and sandals in the course of winter, Johnston mentioned. Denver arrange eight city-funded shelters, which are actually closed, and helped 8,700 individuals apply for work authorization. The mayor identified through the listening to that lots of the buses have been despatched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“When buses began displaying up crammed with migrants some in my metropolis have been afraid, identical to I’m certain a few of your constituents are afraid,” Johnston mentioned. “They have been afraid about crime and homelessness and nervous about what these new individuals would possibly take away from them. I perceive that concern. The reality is people who find themselves new to this nation do good and unhealthy identical to all of us.
“When these buses saved on coming, Denver made a selection as a metropolis, to not hate one another, however to assist one another.”
Boebert, whose district consists of Douglas County, Loveland and the agricultural Jap Plains, is on the committee, and three different Colorado Republicans — Reps. Jeff Crank, Jeff Hurd and Gabe Evans — requested to participate within the listening to.
Apart from threats of jail, the listening to may have large implications for Denver and the opposite cities, as members of Congress have referred to as for ending federal funding to cities that don’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In Colorado, it’s in opposition to state legislation for native legislation enforcement to carry immigrants in jail for the aim of ready for ICE to select them up.
Boebert, restricted to 5 minutes like the remainder of the panel, peppered Johnston with questions and wished “sure” or “no” solutions. When he tried to talk longer, she reduce him off.
Boebert questioned why the mayor employed a lawyer “to assist cowl your ass for Denver’s sanctuary metropolis insurance policies for this listening to” and mentioned she has documentation “that proves you have been transport unlawful aliens to Aurora, their crime was rising whilst you have been hiding underneath legal guidelines that you’ll not demand be repealed.”
She requested about a 2017 Denver ordinance, referred to as the Public Security Enforcement Priorities Act, that prohibits metropolis staff from asking about somebody’s immigration standing or reporting it to federal immigration authorities.
“Would a metropolis worker be fired for speaking, coordinating, speaking with an agent from the EPA?” Boebert requested.
“What about Well being and Human Providers?”
“So they might solely be fired for speaking to federal legislation enforcement officers?”
Johnston countered that Denver does cooperate with federal authorities, together with by notifying ICE when somebody within the native jail is needed on an immigration detainer. Native authorities inform immigration brokers when that individual might be launched, however they won’t maintain the individual longer.
Denver has made such notifications to ICE 1,226 occasions prior to now seven years, the mayor mentioned.
Johnston additionally confronted a spherical of aggressive questions from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, who requested the Denver mayor about an ICE arrest final week of an immigrant charged with aggravated assault and held in jail for a couple of 12 months. Jordan mentioned Denver authorities gave ICE solely about an hour’s discover earlier than they launched Abraham Gonzalez, who was picked up within the jail parking zone Friday after being chased by a number of federal officers.
A Denver Division of Public Security video exhibits ICE officers tackling Gonzalez, a state of affairs that the Ohio congressman mentioned was made harmful due to Denver’s refusal to maintain Gonzalez in custody. Jordan mentioned an ICE officer was assaulted and tasers have been used through the arrest.
“Why not give them extra of a heads up?” Jordan requested. “Why not launch him to ICE.”
Johnston mentioned he had reviewed the video and supplied to satisfy with ICE about procedures town may change.
Johnston was notified in a Jan. 27 letter that the committee was “investigating sanctuary jurisdictions” throughout the nation and “their affect on public security and the effectiveness of federal efforts to implement the immigration legal guidelines of america.”
“Denver is a sanctuary jurisdiction underneath Colorado legislation, and Mayor Mike Johnston confirmed that he was ready to go to jail to guard unlawful aliens from federal immigration authorities,” the letter mentioned, citing a Fox Information story that quoted Johnston about how town would attempt to stop a mass deportation.
