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The mayors of four “sanctuary cities” faced tough questions from lawmakers about their policies toward immigrants and how they work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday.

New York Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, all Democrats, were grilled by Republican lawmakers critical of their cities’ policies that limit cooperation with ICE. Some even accused them of violating federal law and raised the possibility of criminal charges.

The committee is led by Rep. James Comer, Republican of Kentucky, who issued a fiery statement setting the tone for the hearing that at times devolved into a yelling match.

“The pro-illegal alien mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City have implemented reckless, illegal policies that shield criminal aliens from federal immigration enforcement and endanger public safety,” he said. “On March 5, the House Oversight Committee will hold sanctuary mayors publicly accountable for refusing to abide by the law and placing Americans’ lives at risk.”

The hearing came amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on immigration to the US and deport people who are in the country illegally. The Justice Department has said it plans to be aggressive against Democratic-led “sanctuary cities” and has threatened to withhold federal funds from cities that refuse to cooperate on immigration enforcement.

Here are some takeaways from the hearing:

“Sanctuary city” is a broad term referring to jurisdictions with policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement actions, but the term is nebulously defined.

These cities often refuse to honor ICE detainer requests, which ask local jails to hold individuals beyond their scheduled release for immigration enforcement. Many also restrict local law enforcement from inquiring about or sharing immigration status. Some provide legal aid and public services, such as health care and education, without requiring proof of legal status.

Supporters argue these policies build trust, encouraging undocumented immigrants to report crimes and seek assistance without fear of deportation. Critics claim they allow individuals, including those with criminal records, to evade immigration enforcement.

Comer opened the questioning period of the hearing by asking each mayor a yes-or-no question on whether they consider their city a “sanctuary city.”

Three of the mayors offered qualifying answers.

“Folks use that term differently; I’ll tell you what Denver does–“ Johnston said.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Comer said, interrupting.

“(Chicago has) a 40-year policy of being a welcoming city,” Johnson said in response.

“Boston is a safe city,” Wu said.

To each, Comer said he would take the answer as a yes.

Adams was the only one who offered a straightforward answer. “Based on our classification, yes.”

In their prepared remarks to open the hearing, the mayors spoke about their general approach to immigration enforcement and rejected the argument that they are violating any federal law.

“To be clear: A ‘sanctuary city’ classification does not mean our city will ever be a safe haven for violent criminals,” Adams said. “It also does not give New York City the authority to violate federal immigration laws. To the contrary, New York City will always comply with city, state, and federal laws, as it does now.”

Johnston said Denver welcomed about 42,000 migrants over 18 months – the largest per capita influx of any US city – some unprepared for the cold weather. The city helped settle them and there are now no migrant encampments or shelters open, and crime numbers still declined.

“When buses started showing up filled with migrants, some in my city were afraid, just like I’m sure some of your constituents are afraid,” he said. “They were afraid about crime and homelessness and worried about what these new people might take away from them. I understand that fear, and the truth is people who are new to this country do good and bad, just like all of us.”

He said Denver often works with ICE and has notified them to pick up someone in their custody 1,226 times over the last 7 years.

Johnson said Chicago is safer due to its “Welcoming City Ordinance” that ensures police are focused on law enforcement priorities rather than immigration laws.

“Put simply, any actions that amplify fears of deportations make Chicago more dangerous.”

Finally, Wu said the Boston Police Department collaborates with state and federal law enforcement when there is a criminal warrant, but state law restricts law enforcement agencies from detaining people solely for alleged civil immigration violations.

“This constant collaboration with state and federal law enforcement is a crucial part of making Boston the safest major city in the country,” she said.

Multiple Republican congressmembers raised the possibility that the mayors could face criminal charges such as obstruction of justice for violating federal law.

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania questioned the mayors on the degree to which they work with federal immigration policies and whether they were violating federal law.

Related article What are sanctuary cities, and can they be defunded?

“If it were up to me, I’d be considering referring charges,” said Rep. Gary Palmer, Republican of Alabama. “We’ve got a problem here when we decide that there are some laws that we will obey and some laws that we won’t.”

“America’s fed up with this betrayal of oath, and you’ll be held accountable,” Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana said.

Rep. Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona, held up signs reading “Sanctuary cities are illegal” with text from two federal laws relating to communication between agencies and harboring undocumented immigrants.

“Every one of you is exposed to criminal culpability here,” he said.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said she will be referring the mayors to the Justice Department for prosecution, earning several surprise gasps from the audience.

“I’m not doing that in an effort to bully you guys, but I do believe your policies are hurting the American people,” she said.

In turn, the mayors challenged Congress to take actions to make cities safer and to reform the country’s immigration policies.

Under questioning from Rep. Paul Gosar, Wu said it was Congress’ role to pass an immigration law and questioned the “false narrative” that immigrants cause crime.

“If you wanted to make us safe, pass gun reforms. Stop cutting Medicaid, stop cutting cancer research, stop cutting funds for veterans,” she said. “That is what will make our city safe.”

The mayors generally faced sharp, fiery questions from Republicans and more open-ended questions from Democrats, but that dynamic was flipped for Adams.

Adams received some praise from Republicans for his willingness to work with “border czar” Tom Homan, his attacks on former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies and his calls to change the city’s sanctuary policies. Meanwhile, he faced tough questions from Democrats about the controversy surrounding his federal corruption charges.

The Justice Department last month ordered federal prosecutors to drop federal corruption charges against Adams so he can better help their immigration crackdown. The directive led to a series of high-profile resignations, including from the acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who said the New York mayor’s attorneys “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo” to help Trump on immigration if the case was dropped.

Rep. Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, called on Adams to resign. Further, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Democrat of Virginia and ranking member of the committee, asked directly whether he made any quid pro quo deal with the Trump administration.

“I think I was extremely clear: No quid pro quo, no agreement,” Adams said. “I did nothing wrong but serve the people of New York City.”

At other points, Adams declined to respond to questions about his criminal charges “out of deference to Judge Dale Ho,” the judge overseeing his case.

After Rep. Laura Gillen, Democrat of New York, said she had no confidence in him and called for his resignation, Adams brushed her off. “But you don’t live in New York City, you live on Long Island. You don’t vote for me,” he said.

Comer and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts, yelled over each other in a tense moment at the hearing.

The incident began when Pressley attempted to read into the record news articles comparing the crime rates of immigrants and native-born Americans. As she began to read the first article, Comer admitted it into the record without objection and asked Pressley to move on to the next one, cutting her off from reading the full title. She continued reading the title of the first article, and the two began to yell over each other in loud voices.

“This trend of you all trying to get thrown out of committee so you can get on MSNBC is going to end,” Comer said. “We’re not going to put up with it.”

“This is my procedural right as a member of this committee,” Pressley said. “I take particular umbrage as a survivor of sexual violence; I will answer into the record. This is my right.”

Comer insisted she stop and directed Rep. Suhas Subramanyam to begin his questioning. Once his time was up, Rep. Melanie Stansbury then read those same article titles into the record and defended Pressley, leading Comer to accuse her of “filibustering.”

One of the more aggressive and explicit lines of questioning came from Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina.

“When an illegal alien rapes a woman, do you believe you’re on the right side of history?” she asked each mayor.

“No, rape is obviously horrible,” Wu responded.

“Then why are you letting rapists back onto the streets of Boston?” Mace said.

“That is not true. That is not what’s happening in Boston,” Wu said.

Mace often added her own snarky asides to their responses, telling Adams at one point “you suck at answering questions.”

“All of the mayors here today are actively working to harm the American people you represent,” Mace said at another point. “You all have blood on your hands.”