JUST IN: GOP Rep. Informs ‘Sanctuary’ Mayors They’ll Be Criminally Referred To DOJ Mid-Hearing

A heated exchange erupted on Capitol Hill Wednesday as House Republicans aggressively questioned Democratic mayors over their sanctuary city policies, accusing them of obstructing federal immigration enforcement. In a dramatic moment Wednesday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said she would be referring all four mayors present for criminal investigation, alleging their policies violate federal law.

The mayors of New York City, Denver, Boston, and Chicago appeared before Congress to defend their local immigration policies, which limit cooperation with federal authorities in detaining and deporting illegal immigrants. The Republican-led committee framed these policies as aiding and abetting illegal immigration, while the mayors maintained they were in full compliance with all applicable laws.

During the contentious hearing, Luna pressed Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on his city’s restrictions against transferring individuals into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. “So you don’t believe that banning the transfer of individuals into ICE custody for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement encourages illegal immigration into Chicago?” Luna asked.

Johnson pushed back, claiming, “We comply with all laws, local, state, and federal.”

Luna then cited U.S. Code Title 8, Section 1324, which makes it a federal crime to knowingly harbor or shield illegal immigrants from detection. She accused the mayors of violating this statute through their sanctuary policies.

“To me, after this line of questioning, it’s very clear that these policies that you have all implicated are active and alive and well in your cities, and they are in direct violation of federal law,” Luna said. “You all speak about a broken immigration system, and yet here you guys are aiding and abetting in that entire process.”

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The Florida Congresswoman, a staunch advocate for stricter immigration enforcement, argued that sanctuary city policies are exacerbating the crisis at the southern border and putting American citizens at risk. She asserted that open-border policies “hurt people on both sides” by encouraging illegal crossings while straining city resources.

She announced mid-hearing that she would formally refer the mayors to the Department of Justice for investigation and hand over the case to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“I want to be very clear about something,” Luna said. “I do not think you guys are bad people, but I think that you are ideologically misled, which is why, unfortunately, based on your responses, I’m going to be criminally referring you to the Department of Justice for investigation.”

“If you guys continue doing what you’re doing, you’re not going to help anyone,” she warned. “You’re going to hurt more people, and that’s exactly why I’m tired of it, the American people are tired of it.”

The Democratic mayors pushed back against the accusations, defending their policies as legally sound and necessary for public safety. Republicans made border security a central campaign issue in 2024, hammering the Biden administration and Democratic-led cities for policies they say incentivized illegal immigration.

While it remains uncertain whether the DOJ will act on Luna’s referrals, her announcement is fuel for Republican efforts to portray sanctuary cities as a significant national security threat.