Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asked to testify in Congressional investigation of sanctuary cities
BOSTON - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been asked to testify at a Congressional hearing as part of a federal investigation into sanctuary cities. Wu told reporters Tuesday that she and her administration "will respond in due time."
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, launched a probe Monday into "the policies of sanctuary jurisdictions and their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement."
Letter to Boston mayor
Comer sent letters to the mayors of Boston, New York, Chicago and Denver asking them to testify at a hearing on February 11 in Washington.
Sanctuary cities have policies against turning over undocumented immigrants who could be deported by federal agents.
In the letter to Wu, Comer said, "Boston is a sanctuary jurisdiction that refuses to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement" and that all four cities "stand out in their abject failure to comply with federal law."
"Boston is a sanctuary jurisdiction under the Boston Trust Act, which the Boston City Council recently voted unanimously to reaffirm. Further, Boston is also subject to Massachusetts's judicial precedent finding ICE detainers an unlawful exercise of state power. Mayor Michelle Wu 'reiterated Boston's status as a sanctuary city' shortly after the 2024 presidential election," Comer wrote.
The panel is looking for city documents and information related to "sanctuary policies" in Boston from January 1, 2024, to the present. In the meantime, cities have been warned if they are found to be interfering with ICE actions, they will not receive federal funding.
Massachusetts lawmakers and members of the House Oversight Committee say they were blindsided by the letter.
"We weren't consulted ahead of time," said Rep. Stephen Lynch, adding that grant recipients like veteran facilities and health centers are concerned their money will stop.
"There is an underlying issue here - the cooperation that would be necessary between federal law enforcement and local law enforcement in apprehending dangerous criminals," Lynch said.
"We follow the laws"
"We follow the laws fully here in Boston. And at the city level, that means standing by our own municipal laws, it means standing by state laws, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision as well that reinforces local communities implement local laws and federal government can implement their laws," Wu said Tuesday.
"And we are not forced to participate in their actions just as they are not asked to carry out filling potholes and other things like that as well. We each have our domain and we feel very strongly that we're on solid legal grounds as we're following the law every day."
The mayor said she has not received a subpoena compelling her to testify.
"So that's our focus is making sure we're there to serve our residents. It seems like D.C. is going to play politics. Let them do what they're doing, we're going to focus on serving our communities here locally," Wu said.
"From the beginning, it's been clear that Boston's progress may seem threatening to some. We are a community here that prioritizes investing in every generation, being welcoming, inclusive, and then having the receipts and the results to show that that is a way of serving everyone even better."
"Not communicating doesn't solve anything"
Some Massachusetts lawmakers, including Republican State Rep. Michael Soter, filed a bill that would allow local and state police to hold dangerous migrants for ICE intervention.
Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced a recent ICE arrest in the city.
"ICE Boston arrested a citizen of the Dominican Republic who has a criminal conviction for second-degree murder for beating his pregnant wife to death," she said.
The Massachusetts GOP is encouraging Trump's administration to investigate sanctuary cities like Boston.
"I think it is wise for the federal government to investigate the impacts of sanctuary cities and see if those policies do, in fact, harbor violent individuals," says Mass GOP spokesperson Logan Trupiano.
Democratic City Councilor Ed Flynn said he hopes Wu will testify and strengthen cooperation between the Boston Police Department and ICE. He said he's working to connect the two organizations locally.
"Not communicating doesn't solve anything," said Flynn.
"Intense and scary times... by design"
"We are in intense and scary times for so many of our community members. And that is by design," the mayor said of the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown.
Mayor Wu says her office is reviewing the letter and hasn't decided how to proceed. She has until February 4 to confirm her testimony.
Tuesday was the mayor's first day back at City Hall, working in person, since giving birth to her daughter two weeks ago.
