Boston Mayor Michelle Wu easily advanced in Tuesday’s preliminary election, even as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown in Massachusetts underscored the growing clash between federal immigration enforcement and local sanctuary policies.
Wu, the first woman and person of color to serve as mayor, secured her spot on the November ballot alongside philanthropist Josh Kraft, son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The vote came as Wu defended Boston’s Trust Act, which limits cooperation with ICE.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Sunday that “ICE launched ‘Patriot 2.0’ to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May.” The agency specifically criticized sanctuary policies, warning: “Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens. ICE is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities.”
Wu pushed back Monday, saying, “They are wrong on the law, and they are wrong on safety. This is why Boston has been the target.” She added that ICE “refuses to issue warrants, while we hear reports of ICE agents taking parents as they are dropping their kids off at school. That does not make our community safer.”
The Justice Department has sued Wu and other Boston officials for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement. As ICE presses forward with its operation, the mayor remains defiant: “Boston is going to continue to uphold the Boston Trust Act,” she said.
