At today's House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) questioned Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
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00:00...our budget and investing in all of the other things we needed to do.
00:03All right, gentlemen, ladies, time to expire.
00:06Chair, I recognize Ms. Miller from Illinois.
00:08Thank you, Chairman.
00:10Governor Pritzker, Illinois is at a crisis point.
00:15Illegal aliens in our state have overwhelmed local communities and schools,
00:20causing untold pain and suffering while costing the Illinois taxpayers billions.
00:26Governor, in a recent report by Capitol News of Illinois,
00:31you called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption.
00:37Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to submit the Capitol News of Illinois report titled,
00:44Trump's 100 Days.
00:45Pritzker calls for mass mobilization as he grows his national profile.
00:50Without objection to order.
00:51Governor, before we go any further, will you commit today to working with the Trump administration
00:59and ICE to ensure that the violence we've seen in Los Angeles does not occur in Chicago
01:06or anywhere else in our state?
01:09Yes or no?
01:12Thank you, Congressman Miller.
01:14We work every day with the federal government to keep our streets safe.
01:17Will you commit to working with the Trump administration?
01:19We do all the time work with the federal government, law enforcement, constantly.
01:23Okay, I'm taking that as a yes.
01:25Governor, you said earlier this afternoon that you were willing to, and I quote,
01:30stand in the way of Tom Holman, end quote, who, I would like to note, is carrying out federal law.
01:37I have before me numerous examples of illegal alien violence in Illinois,
01:44but I want to highlight the story of Joe Abraham, whose daughter was tragically murdered
01:50by an illegal alien in central Illinois.
01:54Under your watch, sir.
01:56I will now read his account.
01:59Hello, my name is Joe Abraham.
02:03I am the father of three, and Katie was my youngest.
02:06Katie had a beautiful soul, a sharp wit, and a huge personality.
02:11She loved life, and she lived it with authenticity, humor, and heart.
02:17She was the kind of person who succeeded at anything she put her mind to.
02:21She had a future full of promise.
02:24She was everything to our family.
02:27In the early hours of Sunday, January 19th, Katie was riding in a Honda Civic with four friends.
02:33They were stopped at a red light when their car was struck from behind by an SUV traveling 78 miles per hour.
02:42The driver didn't brake.
02:43He didn't swerve.
02:44He just slammed into them.
02:46The driver had previously been deported and was in the country illegally using an alias.
02:53He was allegedly intoxicated.
02:56After the crash, he fled the scene on foot without calling 911, without offering any help to the five women he had just hit.
03:06Katie died at the scene.
03:08Another young woman passed away the next day at the hospital.
03:11Instead of staying to face what he had done, the driver fled Urbana, made his way to Chicago, and then boarded a bus headed to Mexico.
03:19Thankfully, he was captured before fleeing the country.
03:24We share Katie's story, not just to honor her memory, but to raise awareness and to seek justice.
03:31No family should have to endure this type of loss.
03:37Sir, the family is here.
03:40The father is here.
03:42Would you like to apologize to Katie's family?
03:46Feel free to direct your comments to me.
03:48I am very sorry for their loss.
03:52I really am.
03:53I can only imagine what other instances have taken place but have not been reported.
03:59You have stated that Illinois will not allow local police departments to assist ICE as they work to address the illegal immigration crisis that you helped to create.
04:09In light of the crimes that I have mentioned, do you stand by your policy of tying the hands of Illinois law enforcement?
04:15Yes or no, sir?
04:16You know, Congresswoman Miller, I am not going to be lectured to by somebody who extolls the virtue of Adolf Hitler, of somebody who has allowed the pardoning of January 6th.
04:28Proclaiming my time.
04:29In 2024, after the presidential election, you stated on MSNBC that, and I quote,
04:36I am going to do everything that I can to protect our undocumented immigrants, end quote.
04:43Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to submit a Fox News report into the record titled, Dem Governor J.B. Pritzker vows to do everything I can to protect our undocumented immigrants.
04:57Congresswoman, I was talking about the people who have lived in our state for decades now.
05:01Our policies are not only deadly, but they have cost Illinois taxpayers billions to the tune of $3 billion since 2022.
05:11Governor, your state budget doesn't balance without massive yearly tax increases.
05:16This year, you hiked taxes by $800 million.
05:20Your budgets fund the services of illegal aliens.
05:22That's inaccurate, Congresswoman.
05:24Again, inaccurate.
05:25Nearly everything is mischaracterized in your statement.
05:29Governor, I judge you based on your actions, not on your words.
05:33And from what I can tell, you are doing everything in your power to roll out the red carpet for illegal aliens to protect them,
05:41all at the expense of working people of Illinois.
05:44Your policies have been disastrous for our state, and they would be disastrous for our country.
05:50And with that, I yield back.
05:51Your failures are a disaster for this country.
05:53Governor, I yield back.