The four mayors are appearing before a largely hostile House committee that has labeled their cities’ protection of migrants “misguided and obstructionist.”

The Congressional hearing was part of a federal investigation into so-called "sanctuary cities."Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, launched the probe back in January to look into what he described as "the policies of sanctuary jurisdictions and their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement.

Democratic mayors from four major U.S. cities defended their "sanctuary city" policies on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. House Republicans have criticized these policies, which limit local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration agents,