The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Monday that it is launching an investigation into sanctuary jurisdictions and their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement.

Sanctuary policies prohibit local officials from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

'Misguided and obstructionist policies.'

A press release from Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) explained that the committee sent letters to mayors of several sanctuary cities: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D), and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D).

The mayors were requested to turn over “documents and communications related to their cities’ sanctuary policies” and asked to testify before the committee during a hearing scheduled for February 11.

The committee’s press release noted that there are roughly “12 states and hundreds of cities and counties with sanctuary laws or policies across the country” that are “shielding removable aliens, especially criminals, from federal law enforcement.” It stated that the cities’ leaders “refuse to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.”

In the letters to the mayors, the committee explained that it decided to specifically investigate those four sanctuary cities because they “stand out in their abject failure to comply with federal law,” adding that the cities’ citizens have “suffered” as a result.

“Sanctuary jurisdictions and their misguided and obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe,” Comer stated.

“On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump took decisive actions to restore the rule of law with respect to immigration enforcement,” he continued. “In addition to the efforts of the Trump Administration to ensure federal immigration enforcement can proceed unimpeded, Congress must determine whether further legislation is necessary to enhance border security and public safety. It is imperative that federal immigration law is enforced and that criminal aliens are swiftly removed from our communities.”

A spokesperson for Wu’s office released a statement in response to the House committee’s letter.

“We are proud that Boston is the safest major city in the United States. We have received the letter and are reviewing it,” the statement read.

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn told WCVB, “When someone commits a crime, regardless of immigration status, we can’t stand in the way of justice for a survivor of crime or respect for the rule of law and society.”

“A respectful and cooperative working relationship between Boston Police and federal authorities, including ICE, is critical. We can’t play politics with the security and safety of residents,” Flynn added.

A spokesperson for Adams’ office told Fox News Digital, “Mayor Adams has made clear that New York City is committed to working with our federal partners to fix our broken immigration system and focus on the small number of people who are entering our localities and committing violent crimes.”

“We will review the letter and respond accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

A representative for Denver Mayor Johnston said Monday night, “The most helpful thing congressional Republicans could do right now is fix our broken immigration system. While they work on that, we will focus on running the cities that manage the consequences of their failure to act.”

Chicago Mayor Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Last week, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove issued a three-page memo signaling a crackdown on sanctuary cities. The correspondence directed the Department of Justice’s prosecutors to open investigations into state and local leaders who obstruct the Trump administration’s deportation plans.

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