Chicago Mayor Rejects GOP Claims That Sanctuary Cities Protect Criminals: 'We Arrest Them'

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson testified before Congress Wednesday about the city's sanctuary policies, rejecting claims from Republican lawmakers that they serve to protect criminals. Joined by the mayors of New York City, Denver and Boston, Johnson stood firmly with his city's immigrant protection laws, claiming that Chicago does not "harbor criminals."

Johnson mentioned about falling crime rates in his city, which has been a frequent target for Republicans who have portrayed it as violent and dangerous. He spoke to the city's long history as one that is home to immigrants who helped build it. But he also maintained that it was not a safe haven for violent people.

"We do not harbor criminals," the Democratic mayor said. "We arrest them."

House Republicans are accusing the mayors of thwarting President Trump's enforcement efforts and putting their residents in harm's way, while the mayors detailed how thousands of asylum seekers had arrived in their cities in recent years, desperate for food and shelter— and how the cities dealt with them. All four mayors said crime rates in their cities were dropping, in spite of the Trump administration's claims that migrants make cities unsafe.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal money from jurisdictions he deems uncooperative with his immigration enforcement plans, and he recently filed a lawsuit accusing leaders in Chicago of hampering his policies, The New York Times reports.