Governors’ Sanctuary Excuses Don’t Add Up

Democrat Governors Tim Walz of Minnesota, J. B. Pritzker of Illinois, and Kathy Hochul of New York testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee last week, defending their states’ sanctuary policies amid growing scrutiny over their impact on public safety. While the hearing produced plenty of political theater, it was also a sad spectacle of gaslighting and deflection of accountability, revealing the twisted sanctuary ideology that is still prevalent throughout the country.

Sanctuary policies, which restrict local law enforcement from cooperating fully with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), are often framed as compassionate measures to protect illegal aliens. This is partisan political spin detached from reality. By limiting cooperation with federal authorities, these policies create safe havens for individuals who have entered the country illegally and, in many cases, commit violent crimes.

The governors’ insistence that their policies promote safety rings hollow when we consider the victims—innocent people like Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student brutally murdered in 2024 by an illegal alien with a criminal history. Riley’s death, and too many other deaths like it, are in direct consequence of the reckless sanctuary policies these governors champion.

During their testimonies, Walz, Pritzker, and Hochul repeatedly claimed their states cooperate with ICE when presented with a criminal warrant. This assertion is misleading, as the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) does not require a criminal warrant for local authorities to honor ICE detainers. The U.S. Constitution establishes that the federal Constitution takes precedence over state laws, and even state constitutions. By implementing policies that limit cooperation unless a judicial warrant is presented, these governors are effectively violating federal law. Their claim of cooperation is a convenient half-truth, designed to deflect accountability while they obstruct ICE’s effectiveness to detain and deport individuals who pose a threat to public safety.