The Justice Department (DOJ) sued Boston and its Democratic mayor, Michelle Wu, on Thursday over the city’s sanctuary law, arguing that it is illegal and helps release dangerous criminals who should be deported.
“The Boston Police Department was once a cooperative partner with ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts. Throughout 2015, the Boston Police Department honored all civil immigration detainer requests from ICE,” the DOJ said in a complaint.
“But every year since then—as the national crisis with illegal immigration reached its peak—the City of Boston directed its law enforcement to become obstructionist by refusing to honor any of ICE’s civil immigration detainers,” the DOJ stated in the 17-page court filing.
Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent out letters to over 30 state and local governments, known as “sanctuary jurisdictions,” including Boston, arguing their funding could be frozen if they do not cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Wu, at the time, said Boston would not “bow down to unconstitutional threats or unlawful coercion” from the administration.
The Trump administration has sued other cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and others, looking to topple their so-called sanctuary city policies.
Wu said Thursday night that the DOJ’s “unconstitutional attack on our city is not a surprise.
“Boston is a thriving community, the economic and cultural hub of New England, and the safest major city in the country — but this administration is intent on attacking our community to advance their own authoritarian agenda,” the mayor said in a statement. “This is our City, and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country. We will not yield.”
