What to expect from Mayor Brandon Johnson's testimony on Chicago's sanctuary city law

Mayor Brandon Johnson faces what is expected to be an aggressive attack on Chicago's sanctuary city policy at a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing today in Washington, D.C.

Johnson will appear before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at 9 a.m. Chicago time to defend the city’s law that, in part, restricts police from detaining people solely based on their immigration status — a policy that has been in place since 1985.

The hearing will feature five-minute opening statements from the chair, ranking member and each witness, followed by five-minute rounds of questioning from each of the members present, according to a spokesperson of a committee member.

The committee — made up of 26 Republicans and 21 Democrats — features some of the House of Representatives' most well-known and controversial firebrands, from Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert to Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Jasmine Crockett.

Johnson is expected to appear alongside Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Adams has worked to curry favor with Trump and refrain from criticizing him; after meeting with border czar Tom Homan, Adams said he would roll back New York City’s sanctuary city law to allow ICE agents on Rikers Island, a jail facility. Earlier this month, Trump’s Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Adams.

What is Chicago’s sanctuary city law?

Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance means “the City will not ask about your immigration status, disclose that information to authorities, or, most importantly, deny you City services.”

Chicago has been a sanctuary city since March 1985, via an executive order from Mayor Harold Washington that has since been made into an ordinance.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit last month against the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois and Cook County over the sanctuary laws that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Illinois, accusing those jurisdictions of “making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities.”

Johnson responded that Chicago will stand by its policies. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the state’s laws protecting undocumented immigrants comply with federal law.

During the first Trump administration, the Justice Department tried to withhold funding from Illinois and Chicago, but those efforts were defeated in federal court.

How has Johnson prepared for the hearing?

Johnson landed in Washington Sunday morning for three days of intense preparation for his testimony. City Hall has hired a Washington law firm with experience in helping witnesses get ready for congressional hearings and navigate unfamiliar terrain.

Former Mayors Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot are among those that have been advising Johnson on how to handle questioning from some of Congress’s most outspoken, far-right representatives at the hearing that many view as political theater in a crusade against Democratic policies.

Johnson has pulled no punches against Lightfoot or Emanuel in the past, nor Lightfoot against Johnson. All three of them represent different points on the Democratic political spectrum.

But everyone involved appears to be putting local rivalries aside to strike a supportive tone as the city prepares for the main stage.

“There’s a very small club of mayors, and all of them, no matter their disagreements, all of them love this city,” Johnson senior adviser Jason Lee said in an interview with WBEZ Friday. “And when the city is under the microscope or under attack in any way, it’s not a surprise that they would respond when called upon to support that.”

Johnson also sought advice last week from a group of community organizers, including civil rights attorneys and immigration advocates. Lee did not name the groups involved but said they want to see Johnson fight for federal resources while defending against attacks.

What will Johnson say — and what’s at stake for him?

The unlikely cast of characters banding together to support Johnson could be one indicator of how the hearing might be a political boon. In the face of personal attacks, Johnson may appear sympathetic to his critics, and a strong performance may score him points back home.

Johnson’s demeanor will be “dignified, respectful, calm,” Lee said. He argued Chicago mayors are “uniquely equipped” to deal with personal attacks, given the city’s rough-and-tumble political landscape.

“The tenor and tone of Chicago politics is legendary,” Lee said. “I think it was Harold Washington who said, ‘Politics ain’t beanbag.’ So, I think Brandon Johnson is certainly more than prepared to deal with what may come.”

Lee said while Republican governors who’ve made Chicago a target have worked to sow “misunderstanding” about Chicago’s sanctuary laws, the hearing is an opportunity to reshape public opinion about what the policy does and doesn’t do.

But it remains to be seen whether the current lawsuit by the Trump administration against the city will limit what Johnson or the city’s attorney, Mary Richardson-Lowry, believe he can say at the hearing.

“Certainly it’s a consideration,” Lee said. “Of the four mayors, he’s the only one being sued by the Department of Justice over these same issues. There’s also legislation being proposed in Congress that would recall funding from sanctuary cities so there are certain legal and policy implications around the subject matter that factors into this testimony.”

What’s at stake for Chicago?

Congress can't pass a law to end Chicago’s sanctuary city status.

But it can try to influence public sentiment and policy by trying to fiscally ruin the city and state — Illinois has its own sanctuary law — by cutting off federal funds. That’s already starting to happen, with the feds withholding $1.88 billion of federal money the state was expecting.

For the most part, this hearing is political theater, with the mayors there to be punching bags.

It was created to put the mayors on the defensive over their city sanctuary policies and turn public opinion against them. A movie trailer-style video released last week set the stage, with scenes connecting the recently arrived migrants with crime in each of the four cities. There is an ominous part of the video where the purpose of the hearing is spelled out: “The mayor of CHICAGO will be held accountable on March 5.”

According to committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., the mayors will be asked to testify “to examine their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.” Comer earlier started a probe of these sanctuary cities to determine the impact of such policies “on public safety and federal immigration enforcement.”

Chicago and New York are big sanctuary cities and obvious targets. The mayors are appearing voluntarily. If they had refused, the committee has the power to subpoena them to appear.

Additionally, Trump is threatening to shut off federal funds from sanctuary cities. A refusal to testify would give Trump an easy excuse to do that.