The mayor of Denver, Mike Johnston, urged immigration policy after the congress

The appearance by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston at a hearing of the congress on Wednesday in Washington, DC, was at least successful in one way: he seemed to avert all moments from viral videos.

He was repeatedly under pressure when the Republican members of the committee increased him to immigration -friendly politics from Denver and threatened to pursue criminal charges against him in several places. The six -hour hearing in which Johnston was under oath focused on problems that occurred due to the politics of the city and dealt with whether the local rules violated the federal law.

Johnston and the others provided besides the mayors of Boston, Chicago and New York City and asked dozens of questions, while the members of the committee kept interrupting their answers. They received occasional help from members of the Democratic Committee who asked friendlier questions.

Johnston consistently sent his message that the city's guidelines generally welcome “newcomers” and emphasize that the local police will work together with federal immigration agents in order to pursue violent criminals.

“If we want to tell the story what effects immigrants in America have, we have to tell the whole story,” he told the committee in a declaration of opening. “The truth is that people who are new in this country do well and bad, just like all of us.”

While the new President Donald Trump and the Republicans of the Congress threatened to lower federal financing for cities that do not fully work with the US immigration and customs authority of the US intensive care unit, this option was not a main focus during the hearing.

When asked by a democratic member, what the cuts could mean, Johnston said: “It would be catastrophic.”

He added that the loss of federal financing would dramatically weaken public security in the city, whereby potential effects on the repair of bridges, the introduction of children into preschool and medical care for veterans would become.

A spokesman for the city previously announced the Denver Post that the city's budget in 2025 in the amount of around 150 million US dollars.

Get caught with Boebert

At the beginning of the hearing, Johnston received the majority of the questions when the members of the committee put a microscope on the city's guidelines.

In a back and forth with Colorado US MP Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Windsor who is in the committee, the two argued about the details of the laws of Denver and Colorado and as the police from Denver with ICE. Johnston said they coordinate with the agents when there is a violent criminal with an arrest warrant.

But Boebert said that many problems arise before an arrest warrant is issued.

“Local law enforcement officers cannot coordinate because there is no arrest warrant,” said Boebert. She further urged the mayor why he had not asked for a city or state policy in connection with immigrants – who were approved before his term of office – to be lifted.

Boebert asked Johnston whether the state should pay back its policy to restrict how many local law enforcement authorities can work with ICE. The leaders of the agency have expressed the frustration that Denver only inform them of the impending publications of the occupants from prison and have no inquiries to keep them longer.

“I don't think the Liability Act has to be changed,” said Johnston as an answer.

Boebert also pointed out that the city recently hired a lawyer based in DC for a one-year contract worth up to $ 2 million to help the committee pursued. She suggested that he did that to “cover her ass for the Sanctuary City policy from Denver”.

There could be additional investigations by the cities, since the US Ministry of Justice is now investigating the guidelines of Chicago and New York City.

The members of the committee several times stated that the criminal complaints submitted by the department against the mayor wanted to see and argue that the city leaders enforce their own local guidelines on the rules set out by the US constitution. Ultimately, congress members can only transfer matters to the Doj.

In an interview after the hearing, Boebert said that she believes that there must be measures against someone who helps “illegal foreigners”, including the possibility of prosecution. She added that she does not believe that the hearing will be the last step that the committee will take with the topic.

Denver has attracted the almost 43,000 migrants who have come to the city since the end of 2022. Tens of thousands remain in urban accommodations and for controversy in which the city and Aurora are involved during the presidential campaign.

Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, relegated to Johnston's comments last year that he was ready to go to prison to stand in the way of deportations that he thinks as illegal.

“We could give you this opportunity,” he said.

Concentrate on prison incident

One of Johnston's most controversial moments came when Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican in Ohio, asked him about an incident last week in which the immigration authorities of a man were involved in the parking lot of a denver prison by the immigration authorities.

Abraham Gonzalez, a suspected member of the transnational Venezuelan gang tren de Aragua, was arrested in Denver on suspicion of serious assault in 2024 and the city released it on Friday afternoon. The city informed the ice cream about the planned publication, but the agency said they hadn't given a lot of knowledge. Urban officials stated that the communication took place almost 90 minutes before his release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w19elw_cz_a

Due to the city's guidelines, the agents had to wait until Gonzalez left the facility to arrest it, which led to a conflict with agents.

“An official was attacked because of her directive,” said Jordan.

The incident later asked several questions from committee members in the hearing. They used it to make Johnston's claim that the city works with ice cream when it comes to violent criminals.

Johnston replied that ICE had six agents there to promote Gonzales, and that this was the only case in which he knew where an incident like this had happened after an application for immigration.

He also said that the officials could consider adapting the way the city will release people in the future.

The Colorado Rep. Jeff Crank, who, together with the other two Republicans from the state, was dispensed with for the committee for the day, has received the incident.

“They put police officers – who swore to protect as mayors, endangered to score political points,” said Crank. “I find it outrageous and it is a danger to the people of Colorado and the citizens of Denver for the people in Colorado and the citizens of Denver.”

During their time towards the end of the hearing, the US representatives of Colorado, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd focused on concerns about public security in Denver and the rest of Colorado.

Johnston jumps in

Throughout the hearing, Johnston volunteered to answer questions that were not asked directly.

In an exchange with Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican in Pennsylvania, Johnston first spoke when the committee was asked a general question of how to define a “refuge city”. It led to a dispute between the two.

“We call ourselves an inviting city,” said Johnston, adding that the city is welcome for everyone.

“So you welcome criminals that they have no idea what their crime background is?” Asked Perry. “How do you check the people who welcome you in your city?”

Johnston replied that the city did not check humans from anywhere, including Illinois, California or other countries.

Application for the help of the congress

During their statements, Johnston and the Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, asked the members of the congress to reform the country's legal immigration system in order to facilitate their work.

In a written statement, Johnston said that he would welcome all ideas for immigration reform that ensure the border, create a “better process” for immigrants to enter the country and “facilitate immigration situation for cities”.