Associated Press (AP) — Democratic mayors of four major cities said Wednesday that Congress and the Trump administration are exaggerating crime committed by immigrants and attacking so-called sanctuary cities simply to score political points, as Republicans hammered the policies for shielding criminals and threatened to prosecute local officials.

The comments came in an often fiery hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where Republicans accused the mayors of putting their cities in danger and undermining President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts.

Republicans have repeatedly highlighted crimes committed by immigrants who crossed illegally into the U.S., with Rep. James Comer opening the hearings by saying the policies “only create sanctuary for criminals.”

But the Democratic mayors — Michelle Wu of Boston, Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver and Eric Adams of New York — pushed back hard, even as they seemed to carefully avoid using the term “sanctuary.”

“We know there are myths about these laws. But we must not let mischaracterizations and fearmongering obscure the reality that Chicago’s crime rates are trending down,” Johnson told the committee in a hearing room packed with reporters and onlookers. “We still have a long way to go, but sensationalizing tragedy in the name of political expediency is not governing. It’s grandstanding.”

There’s no legal definition for sanctuary city policies, but they generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers. Courts have repeatedly upheld the legality of sanctuary laws.

Adams noted that New York's sanctuary policies do not allow the city to violate immigration law or hinder enforcement.

“New York City will always comply with city, state, and federal laws as it does now,” he said.

Adams got some of the only praise from Republican lawmakers, with Comer thanking him for working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Adams’ critics say his collaboration is part of an effort to wriggle out of federal corruption charges, though even before Trump was elected, the mayor called on city lawmakers to allow New York police to work more with ICE. The Trump administration ordered prosecutors to drop the case on the grounds that it was distracting Adams from helping the immigration crackdown and hindering his reelection campaign.

About two hours into the hearing, Democratic lawmakers began questioning him sharply over his work with the Trump administration and Justice Department orders to drop the charges.

“Are you selling out New Yorkers to save yourself from prosecution?” asked Rep. Robert Garcia, of California.

“There’s no deal, no quid pro quo. And I did nothing wrong,” Adams said.

Denver's Johnston said that crime decreased when the city was faced with an influx of immigrants, many bussed from border states by Republican politicians. Like the other mayors, he also called for immigration reform that would make it easier for people to legally enter the U.S.

“If Denver can find a way to put aside our ideological differences long enough to manage a crisis we didn’t choose or create, 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,” he said.

Immigration laws, the mayors said, is a federal responsibility, and the attempt to put that responsibility on local law enforcement simply makes communities distrust the police and others they may need to call for help. Trump's crackdown, the mayors said, has terrified immigrants, many of them in the U.S. legally.

“I spoke with pastors whose pews are half empty on Sundays,” said Wu, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan. “Doctors whose patients are missing appointments, teachers whose students aren’t coming to class, neighbors afraid to report crimes in their communities, and victims of violence who won’t call the police.”

“This federal administration is making hard working, taxpaying, God-fearing residents afraid to live their lives,” she said.

In communities that don't cooperate on immigration, ICE agents go in to track down people after their release. ICE argues that this is dangerous and strains resources.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan grilled Johnston for a Denver arrest that he said required ICE agents to apprehend a man recently released from local custody, and mocked Johnston’s insistence that his city was safe.

“That’s a lie because it was not safer for the ICE agents who are part of your community. No way was it safer,” he said.

Republicans also repeatedly raised the possibility that officials in sanctuary cities could face prosecution for breaking federal law.

“Every one of you is exposed to criminal culpability,” said Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona. “That’s the reality.”

Legal experts say that while charges could theoretically be filed, it is highly unlikely they would result in convictions.

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Sullivan reported from Minneapolis.