On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu testified in the congressional committee on oversight, alongside mayors from other major cities. The remarks made waves across social media, defending the sanctuary city stance of the safest major city in America. The committee, focused on municipal immigration policies and their impact on cities across the country, was convened by James Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who questioned Wu on municipal immigration policies. Mayor Wu, an immigrant herself and graduate of Harvard Law School, had a clear message to the House. “Boston has always been a city of immigrants.” Boston, the safest major city in America according to Wu, has consistently set record lows in key crime categories since Mayor Wu was sworn in. Since 2021, she has set the standard for tackling gun reform, public safety, theft and other violent crime.
The Trump Administration’s immigration reform agenda has targeted sanctuary cities like Boston, kicking off an ongoing battle between sanctuary states and cities. Sanctuary cities, a term used to describe cities including New York, Chicago and Denver that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities like the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), have been a safe haven for immigrants across the country. Addressing Congress, Michelle Wu emphasized that despite being a sanctuary city, Boston still cooperates with federal law enforcement to keep its residents safe. While there is no universal definition for a sanctuary city, it broadly outlines a city whose policies limit collaboration with federal agencies like ICE, which would mean allowing them access to resident records, cells and holding facilities without a judicial warrant. Many lawmakers argue that this strengthens local law enforcement by encouraging immigrants to co-operate and report crimes.
“Border Czar,” Thomas D. Homan, who previously served as director of ICE during the first Trump administration, was tapped by President Trump to assist in his agenda to deport millions of immigrants. The New York-born political commentator and law enforcement officer took direct hits at Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox and his alleged failure to deport “nine child rapists” who Homan asserts were let back onto the streets of Massachusetts before being deported by ICE. At the Conservative Political Action Conference, Homan amped up the crowd before President Trump took stage, making direct references to Boston and other sanctuary cities, stating “I’m coming to Boston and I’m bringing hell with me.”
A promise made, which he delivered through a five-day combined initiative across Massachusetts involving ICE, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Alcohol Tobacco Firearms, Drugs Enforcement Agency, US Marshals and Diplomatic Security Services. According to the Boston Globe, this initiative resulted in the arrest of 305 individuals, 205 of which had “significant criminal convictions or charges” according to ICE officials. 44 kilograms of methamphetamines, five kilograms of fentanyl, 1.2 kilograms of cocaine and three guns were also seized. The status of another 165 detainees remains unclear.
Shooting back at the “Border Czar” when addressing congress on the fifth of March, Mayor Wu, when prompted to respond to his remarks, stated “Let’s talk about Tom Homan. Shame on him, for lying about my city, for having the nerve to insult our Police Commissioner who has overseen the safest Boston’s been in anyone’s lifetime.”
Last Wednesday, a day after the combined immigration operation began, Mayor Wu stood strong in her commitment towards protecting the immigrant community in the annual State of the City address. Speaking to the Boston Globe, the former acting director of ICE under Obama described the recent operation as a distinct shift in the deportations strategies of law enforcement agencies in order to meet deportation quotas set by the Trump administration. Ayanna Pressley, the representative for Massachusetts’ seventh congressional district, responded to the deportation efforts, demanding that “ICE and CBP [Customs and Border Patrol] should immediately share information on any residents detained. This agency’s rogue behavior, performative stunts, and lack of transparency are endangering our neighbors and raises grave concerns that they aren’t operating lawfully or with any accountability.” Michelle Wu is yet to comment on Homan’s recent operation publicly.
Although federal agencies have not explicitly linked the incident to the recent multi-agency immigration operation, earlier this week, a Tufts University graduate student was reportedly detained by plainclothes federal officers and subsequently transferred to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana. Tufts’ campus is just 10 miles from Brandeis. The officers informed her that her visa had been revoked under the Trump administration’s renewed immigration enforcement efforts. When questioned about the incident, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed concerns, stating, “We do it every day.”
