Pritzker to defend Illinois sanctuary policies before GOP lawmakers

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will be among several Democratic governors who are expected to face a grilling before GOP lawmakers during a Thursday hearing on their states’ controversial sanctuary status. 

According to prepared remarks obtained by Fox News Digital, Pritzker will defend his state’s policies, saying his administration was left to fill the void in the absence of help from the federal government in dealing with the border crisis.  

He will accuse certain border state governors and mayors of having abandoned the nation’s highest ideals by having spent millions of taxpayer dollars treating immigrants as “pawns” rather than doing “everything possible to make the promise of America the practice of America.” 

He will take aim at Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida for having bused illegal immigrants to predominantly liberal cities and states in the north – actions, he will argue, were political stunts that only exacerbated the problem. 

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Pritzker will say that Illinois’ resources were strained because of a lack of federal support – from both Republicans and Democrats – during the crisis. 

The Democratic governor is expected to highlight his state’s efforts to address the influx of immigrants into the “Land of Lincoln” by processing new arrivals, supporting temporary shelter and permanent housing, and enabling them to live independently and contribute to the economy. 

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Pritzker will note that even though state resources were strained during this period, it did not stop his administration from focusing on public safety by investing in state and local law enforcement, including the Illinois State Police (ISP) troopers. He will highlight statistics showing that violent crime has gone down under his stewardship. 

Pritzker will reaffirm his intolerance for violent criminals – whether documented or undocumented – and note that Illinois law enables government employees to cooperate with federal immigration officers executing criminal warrants. 

He is expected to say that federal officials are welcome to operate in Illinois but will make clear that Illinois will not divert limited resources when it is not in the best interest of the state. He will say that he wants residents to feel comfortable turning to local law enforcement for help.  

Pritzker is also expected to invoke his own family’s history, having fled to the U.S. to escape the Russian massacre of Jews in Ukraine. 

He is expected to implore Congress to fix the nation’s broken immigration system so that law-abiding immigrant families can have the same opportunity his family did. The governor will close his remarks by arguing that reforming the system does not have to come at the expense of securing the border. 

Pritzker will be joined by fellow Democratic Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York. “A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors” begins will at 10 a.m. EST before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinheiser contributed to this report.