Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) escalated her fight against sanctuary city policies Wednesday, announcing she will refer four Democratic mayors to Attorney General Pam Bondi for potential prosecution.
The move came during a heated House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, where Mayors Michelle Wu (Boston), Brandon Johnson (Chicago), Mike Johnston (Denver), and Eric Adams (New York City) defended their cities’ refusal to fully cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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Luna accused the mayors of violating federal law under Title 8, U.S. Code, Subsection 1324, which criminalizes aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
“After this line of questioning, it’s very clear that these policies … are active and alive and well in your cities,” she told them. “You all speak about a broken immigration system, and yet here you guys are aiding and abetting in that entire process. Open border policies hurt people on both sides—those coming here illegally and American citizens as well.”
The hearing, part of broader probes launched by the Oversight Committee in January into sanctuary policies in Boston, Denver, Chicago, and New York City, spotlighted tensions between local governance and federal immigration enforcement.
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Luna’s threat of criminal referrals followed sharp exchanges over the mayors’ support for migrants who entered the U.S. illegally.
“I’m not doing this to bully you guys,” she said, “but I think you are ideologically misled. Your policies are hurting the American people, and as soon as I leave here, these will be going over to Pam Bondi.”
Luna framed her referrals as a stand for accountability, not malice. “I do not think you guys are bad people,” she said, “but if you continue doing what you’re doing, you’re not going to help anyone—you’re going to hurt more people. The American people are tired of it.”
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The referrals now head to Bondi’s Department of Justice, where their legal viability under federal law will be tested.
The Oversight Committee’s probes and Luna’s actions underscore a growing clash between sanctuary cities and a Trump administration intent on deporting illegal immigrants en masse.
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