Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s appearance at a congressional hearing on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., was successful at least in one way: He appeared to avert any viral-video moments.
He repeatedly came under pressure as the committee’s Republican members grilled him on Denver’s immigrant-friendly policies and, at several points, threatened to pursue criminal charges against him. The six-hour hearing, during which Johnston was under oath, focused on problems that have arisen because of the city’s policies and delved into whether the local rules violate federal law.
Sitting alongside the mayors of Boston, Chicago and New York City, Johnston and the others fielded dozens of questions, all while the committee members interrupted their responses over and over. They received occasional help from Democratic committee members, who posed friendlier questions.
Johnston consistently conveyed his message that the city’s policies are generally welcoming to “newcomers” — while emphasizing that the local police force will work with federal immigration agents to prosecute violent criminals.
“If we want to tell the story of what impact immigrants have in America, we must tell the full story,” he told the committee in an opening statement. “The truth is that people who are new to this country do good and bad, just like all of us.”
While new President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have threatened to cut federal funding for cities that won’t cooperate fully with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that possibility wasn’t a major focus during the hearing.
When asked by a Democratic member what the cuts could mean, Johnston said: “It would be catastrophic.”
He added that losing federal funding would dramatically weaken public safety in the city, with potential impact on things like repairing bridges, putting children in preschool and giving veterans medical care.
A spokesman for the city previously told The Denver Post that the city’s 2025 budget includes about $150 million in federal dollars.
Tangling with Boebert
Early in the hearing, Johnston garnered the majority of the questions as committee members put a microscope on the city’s policies.
In a back-and-forth with Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican who’s on the committee, the two argued over the specifics of Denver’s and Colorado’s laws and when exactly Denver police will work with ICE. Johnston said they coordinate with the agents when there is a violent criminal with a warrant.
But Boebert said many problems arise before a warrant is issued.
“Local law enforcement officers are unable to coordinate because there is no warrant,” Boebert said. She continued pressing the mayor on why he hadn’t called for city or state policies related to immigrants — which were approved before he was in office — to be repealed.
Boebert went on to ask Johnston whether the state should rescind its policy of restricting how much local law enforcement can work with ICE. The agency’s leaders have expressed frustration that Denver only gives them notice of inmates’ impending releases from jail and won’t honor requests to hold them longer.
“I do not believe the detainer law needs to be changed,” Johnston said in response.
Boebert also pointed to the city recently hiring a D.C.-based lawyer for a yearlong contract worth up to $2 million to help with any investigation the committee pursues. She suggested he did that to “help cover your ass for Denver’s sanctuary city policies.”
There could be additional investigations of the cities, as the U.S. Department of Justice is now looking into the policies of both Chicago and New York City.
Multiple times, committee members said they wanted to see criminal charges filed by the department against the mayors, arguing the city leaders are enforcing their own local policies over the rules laid out by the U.S. Constitution. Ultimately, members of Congress can only refer matters to the DOJ.
Boebert said in an interview after the hearing that she thinks there needs to be action taken against anyone “aiding and abetting illegal aliens,” including the possibility of prosecution. She added that she doesn’t think the hearing will be the last step the committee takes on the topic.
Denver has drawn attention for the nearly 43,000 migrants who have come to the city since late 2022, with tens of thousands staying in city shelters at some point, as well as for controversies involving the city and Aurora during the presidential campaign.
Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, referred directly to Johnston’s comments last year that he was willing to go to jail to stand in the way of deportations he considers illegal.
“We might give you that opportunity,” he said.
Focus on jail incident
One of Johnston’s most contentious moments came when Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, asked him about an incident last week involving immigration authorities’ arrest of a man in the parking lot of a Denver jail.
Abraham Gonzalez, a suspected member of the transnational Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, was arrested in Denver on suspicion of aggravated assault, among other charges, in 2024 and the city released him on Friday afternoon. The city notified ICE of the planned release but the agency said they weren’t given much notice; city officials provided information indicating the notice occurred nearly 90 minutes before his release.
Because of the city’s policies, agents had to wait until Gonzalez left the facility to arrest him, leading to a conflict with agents.
“An officer got assaulted because of your policy,” Jordan said.
The incident drew multiple questions from committee members later in the hearing. They used it to dispute Johnston’s claim that the city works with ICE when it comes to violent criminals.
Johnston responded that ICE had six agents there to help apprehend Gonzales and that this was the only instance he knew about where an incident like this had happened following an immigration detainer request.
He also said officials may consider adjusting the way the city releases people in the future.
Colorado Rep. Jeff Crank, who was waived onto the committee for the day along with the two other Republicans from the state, zeroed in on the incident.
“You’re putting police officers — who you’ve sworn to help protect as their mayor — at risk to score political points,” Crank said. “I think it’s outrageous and it’s unbecoming to your office, and it’s a danger to the people of Colorado and the citizens of Denver.”
During their time toward the end of the hearing, Colorado U.S. Reps. Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd focused on public safety concerns in Denver and the rest of Colorado.
Johnston jumps in
Multiple times throughout the hearing, Johnston volunteered to answer questions that weren’t directly asked to him.
In one exchange with Rep. Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, Johnston spoke first when the panel was asked a general question about how they define a “sanctuary city.” It led to an argument between the two.
“We call ourselves a welcoming city,” Johnston said, adding that the city is welcoming to everyone.
“So you’re welcoming criminals that you don’t have any idea what their crime background is?” Perry asked. “How do you vet the people that you welcome into your city?”
Johnston responded that the city doesn’t vet people from anywhere, including Illinois, California or other countries.
Request for Congress’ help
During their testimonies, Johnston and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu both made a point of asking the members of Congress to reform the country’s legal immigration system to help make their jobs easier.
In a written statement, Johnston said he would welcome any ideas about immigration reform that will secure the border, create a “better process” for immigrants to enter the country and make the “immigration situation easier for cities to manage.”
“If Denver can find a way to put aside our fear and our ideological differences long enough to manage a crisis we didn’t choose or create,” Johnston said, “it seems only fair to ask that the body that is actually charged with solving this national problem, this Congress, can finally commit to do the same.”
While Johnston attracted much of the committee’s attention, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York City Mayor Eric Adams were also subject to frequent attacks.
Several Democratic members, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, focused on Adams during the hearing, asking whether he had a deal with the Trump administration to drop charges against him in exchange for cooperation on his deportation efforts.
“There was never any agreement, never any quid pro quo and I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said repeatedly.
At the end of the hearing, committee chairman Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, said that in the coming days, it was likely to send the mayors additional written questions.
Staff writer Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton contributed to this story.
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