New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sat before the House Oversight Committee on Thursday, where they taunted the Trump Administration, daring Tom Homan to arrest them for their lawless sanctuary state policies.
Republicans grilled the Governors in a hearing titled “A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors.”
Democrats used the opportunity to rant against the Trump administration, accusing Trump of inciting violence and violating the rights of illegal aliens in the interior of our country.
When Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) used his time to rail against the Trump Administration for sending troops to stop the violent insurrection in Los Angeles and claim that “people are protesting, nonviolently, President Trump’s treatment of immigrants.”
Frost highlighted the arrest of a Milwaukee Judge on obstruction of justice charges for concealing an illegal alien from ICE agents, a mayor for trespassing on an ICE facility, Democrat New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver for assaulting federal agents, and recent calls for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s arrest from President Trump. “Why is Trump now saying he wants to arrest governors? It’s because he knows that some of the people who are going to be the greatest opposition to his lawlessness are democratic governors standing up for their people,” he said.
He then asked the governors, “If federal agents were to come to your door, to the governor’s mansion, approach your security staff to arrest you —you have Tom Tom Homan on the news, saying, I want to arrest Governor Hochul, Governor Pritzker, Governor Walz —What do you do? What do you say?”
Hochul responded, “If Tom Homan comes to Albany to arrest me, I say, go for it.”
“He can try,” Pritzker said. “I can also tell you that I will stand in the way of Tom Homan going after people who don’t deserve to be frightened in their communities, who don’t deserve to be threatened, terrorized.”
But Tim Walz doesn’t want to go to jail. Instead of daring the Trump Administration to arrest him, Walz called for the federal government and his state to ” work together,” adding, “We can fix this with a bipartisan supporter bill.”
WATCH:
Hochul: If Tom Homan comes to Albany to arrest me, I say, go for it. You can’t intimidate a governor, what is this country coming to when people can threaten us on social media and cable news and try to stop us from doing our jobs? We’re here on the front lines every day, fighting to defend our rights, our values and the public safety of our residents. So, anything threatening our responsibility is an assault on our democracy, nothing short of that.
Pritzker: Let me begin by saying I have the highest duty to protect the people of my state, and indeed, if Tom Homan were to come to try to arrest us, me, rather, I can say, first of all, that he can try. I can also tell you that I will stand in the way of Tom Homan going after people who don’t deserve to be frightened in their communities, who don’t deserve to be threatened, terrorized. I would rather that he came and arrested me than do that to the people of my state.
Walz: Sitting here listening today again, there’s many of you in here, I have friends on both sides of the aisle that I served here. The job of governor is very different than the job you’re doing, but we need you. We need to work together. No one here wants to hear these horrific stories, but we have a job to do on limited resources, and equating that not doing ICE’s job means we’re not cooperating— We’re patrolling our highways. I’m proud that Minnesota is the state, third lowest in traffic deaths. If we start doing all the things at ICE, and nothing we do precludes them from doing their job. And so, threatening and political— and I did not realize, I guess. I watched, I didn’t realize how much animosity there is here. We have a responsibility to the American public to work together, and I think threatening arrest on elected officials, Congressman, it doesn’t help any of us. And Governor Pritzker is right. Our citizens are scared and angry, and it’s not necessary. We can fix this with a bipartisan supporter bill. Help us out.
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