At Thursday's House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) questioned Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
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00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate your indulgence for letting me wave on the
00:04committee today.
00:05I know it's been a long day.
00:06I want to welcome our governors here today.
00:09Governor Pritzker, on behalf of my constituents and myself, I have serious concerns about
00:14the current state of Illinois and the continued direction your administration is taking when
00:19it comes to sanctuary policies, and I know we've talked a lot about that today.
00:22And I want to be clear, your sweeping sanctuary policies are not just misguided in my view,
00:28I think they're dangerous.
00:29Your agenda puts ideology above public safety, ties the hands of law enforcement, and signals
00:36to violent, criminal, illegal immigrants that Illinois is a safe haven.
00:40Your administration has made the state of Illinois among the national outliers to defy federal
00:46law, and you've doubled down on policies like Illinois Way Forward Act, which is legislation
00:51you proposed and signed that prohibits local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, even
00:57in cases involving violent criminals.
01:00And I think, hearing you today, I think you honestly believe that refusing to turn over
01:04convicted felons to federal authorities makes our community safer.
01:07And I'll tell you, Governor, it doesn't. And as a former federal and state prosecutor who's worked very closely with law enforcement, none of that makes us safer or makes law enforcement feel comfortable.
01:20Instead of working with federal law enforcement to remove dangerous individuals from our streets in Chicago and across Illinois, you're creating bureaucratic roadblocks and political cover.
01:30And in my view, that's not leadership. It's government malpractice. Illinois families are already struggling with the highest combined state and local tax burden in the country.
01:40And they should not be forced to subsidize over $2.5 billion in Illinois taxpayer money that's been spent on illegal immigrants over the last four years under your sanctuary policies in Illinois.
01:52I want to mention two specific cases, although I could talk about a lot more tragic case involving the family of George Levin, a 63 year old man who was murdered by a pair of illegal immigrants who arrested in Chicago in January, he was found bound with duct tape and his legs tied with an extension cord.
02:10The title of an article was Two Migrant Men Beat Chicago Businessmen to Death, Left Him Bound, Gagged, Prosecutors Say, dated February 1st, 2025.
02:23Again, under your sanctuary policies in the state of Illinois.
02:27I'd like to submit that for the record, Mr. Chair.
02:28Without objection to order.
02:29Second one is a case of two families.
02:32And I want to highlight Chloe Polzon and, of course, Catherine Abraham, two girls in their early 20s that were killed in a fatal hit and run by an illegal immigrant in Urbana, Illinois.
02:42And, again, the title from that article, Glenview Family Seeks Justice After Migrant Suspect Kills Daughter and Friend in Urbana Hit and Run.
02:52I'd like to submit that for the record.
02:54Without objection to order.
02:55And so, Governor, I guess a question for you.
02:58As you hear these stories, and there's many others, does it cause you to rethink your sanctuary city policies or regret some of the policies you've taken as it relates to sanctuary cities?
03:12Thank you, Congressman.
03:13I'm glad to see you here.
03:15I know you were unwilling to meet with your constituents about the Medicaid cuts that you voted for.
03:18So I answer the question.
03:19I thought you might not answer the question.
03:22I'm going to reclaim my time because you did not answer the question, which I thought you would.
03:27When I asked, when you hear about victims that suffer violence because of illegal migrants in a sanctuary city state, you said, no, it hasn't caused you to rethink.
03:39Reclaiming my time.
03:40Now, Governor Pritzker, you mentioned reclaiming my time.
03:45I have the time.
03:46The judicial warrant is all the federal government.
03:48You all have the ability to fix this.
03:49Earlier, Governor Pritzker, earlier.
03:51Do your job.
03:52Do your job, Congressman.
03:53I would deflect, too, instead of answer those questions.
03:56Now, you said earlier, in a response to a question from Chairman Comer, that you have been critical and had been critical of President Biden and his border policies.
04:07And you cited a letter, October 2nd, 2023, that you authored.
04:11So I pulled the letter.
04:12And I was looking for this criticism of the Biden border policy.
04:15Three pages.
04:17Nothing in there.
04:18Now, I'm going to submit for the record so everybody can see it.
04:21October 2nd, 2023, letter from J.B.
04:23Pritzker to President Biden.
04:25Not one mention of being critical of the border.
04:27Without objection to order.
04:29Public statements on national programs about this.
04:31It's not your time.
04:33Governor Pritzker, it was mentioned earlier, all these rosy statistics about Illinois.
04:38But I want to mention a couple that weren't mentioned.
04:41Illinois is the leader in out-migration of people leaving the state of Illinois.
04:46We've led, for the last four years, five years, people want to leave the state of Illinois.
04:49We lost a congressional seat, as you're well aware.
04:52We have the lowest population in the city of Chicago now than in 100 years.
04:56People continue to flee Illinois.
04:58We have the fifth highest unemployment rate in the country.
05:01The second highest property tax rate in the country.
05:03The fifth highest illegal immigration population in the country, with over 500,000 illegal immigrants leaving in Illinois.
05:11None of that got mentioned before, but that's the reality.
05:13And to be honest with you, Governor Pritzker, I wish you didn't have to be here today as my governor.
05:18I really do.
05:20But unfortunately, because of your failed policies, you have spotlighted Illinois, and that truly is unfortunate.
05:27And I yield back.
05:28Tuttleman yields back.
05:29Half of that is completely false and needs to be corrected, and I will, if given the moment, to speak.
05:35Our population is increasing.
05:38We have a higher population as a result of the census that was done in 2020.
05:43It was your Republican governor.
05:47Governor, you don't have time.
05:48You served in the legislature.
05:49You were part of those policies.
05:51We are turning the seat around.
05:55Chair recognizes Mr. Jack.
05:58Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
06:00And as the last questioner today, Mr. Walls, I think you're not going to need any more Diet Mountain Dew after this.
06:07But do you, just one thing, just to kind of bring this entire hearing back into the perspective,
06:13just to help us understand and this committee understand the policies of your administration.
06:17that you are not going to need any more Diet
06:36is going to really��ful.
06:36What interests you, Mr. Walls?
06:37Well, thank you everybody.
06:37Thank you, Priscilla.
06:38Thank you, Mr. Walls.
06:40Thanks, Commission.