The House Judiciary Committee has renewed its request for records from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz regarding her office's handling of cases involving migrants accused of crimes, citing concerns about "sanctuary" policies.
In a letter dated Monday, Committee leaders Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) stated that Katz's office had previously claimed 10th Amendment protections to avoid providing the requested documents by a June 10 deadline. The Republicans assert that these policies appear to intentionally hinder federal authority and may violate federal civil rights laws by offering preferential treatment to foreign nationals.
The committee, which previously advanced legislation aimed at preventing jurisdictions from disregarding federal immigration laws, specifically called out New York officials for not honoring a majority of detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many jurisdictions considered to be left-leaning have opposed automatic cooperation with ICE, requiring judicial warrants before handing over migrants charged with crimes into federal custody.
Jordan and McClintock's letter references the proposed "Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act of 2026," which aims to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to mandate cooperation between state and federal authorities. The lawmakers criticized Katz's office for objecting to the scope of the committee's requests, particularly the claim that it would be impossible to search for communications concerning non-citizens.
"Nonetheless, you do not provide any rationale for why it is not possible to provide documents and communications related even to a single employee, the office’s Immigration Specialist, or materials related to certain foreign nationals’ cases—the same cases you have boasted about in public reports," the letter stated. It also noted a lack of indication that Katz's office had attempted to obtain the requested information in the three months since the initial request.
Katz is among seven New York City officials who were questioned about their sanctuary policies, including the commissioners of the NYPD and Department of Corrections, as well as the top prosecutors for all five boroughs. A previous letter from the committee indicated that the New York City Department of Corrections honored less than 4% of detainers lodged by ICE for criminal aliens between July 2022 and June 2025.
Representatives for Katz's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.