BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu racked up a six-figure bill with a high-powered law firm in preparation for Wednesday’s intense congressional hearing on sanctuary cities in Washington, D.C.
Wu hired the services of Cahill Gordon & Reindel, retaining the New York City-based firm at a rate of $950 an hour, Boston 25 News has learned. The firm also has offices in D.C. and London.
“The prep sessions included staff from the Mayor’s Office, Law Department, Boston Police and other senior advisors and leaders from the Cabinet, as well as an external law firm, Cahill Gordon & Reindel,” an official said in a statement shared with Boston 25 News. “The City retained Cahill for a rate of $950/hour and expects to pay the firm up to $650,000 for legal work related to the March 5 hearing, committee investigation, and production of related documents.”
While testifying in front of lawmakers on the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill, Wu defended the city’s approach to immigration enforcement and called the Bay State’s capital “the safest major city in the country.”
MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale blasted Wu for diverting money “away from vital services from lifelong Bostonians” and for being “unable to provide basic data on how many illegal immigrants have entered Boston over the past four years or how much taxpayer money is being spent on individuals who are in the country unlawfully.”
“Mayor Wu’s refusal to disclose the financial burden her policies place on Boston residents is unacceptable,” Carnevale said Wednesday in a statement. “Taxpayers deserve to know how much of their money is being diverted away from vital services from lifelong Bostonians to fund sanctuary city policies that encourage illegal immigration. Instead, Wu admitted that the city doesn’t even track how much is being spent on illegal immigrants.”
Wu was joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
WATCH LIVE: Mayor Michelle Wu testifies before Congress on Boston's sanctuary city policies.WATCH LIVE: Mayor Michelle Wu testifies before Congress on Boston's sanctuary city policies.
Posted by Boston 25 News on Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Republicans hammered the mayors about their so-called sanctuary city policies, accusing them of endangering Americans and threatening to prosecute local officials.
The Democratic mayors took rapid-fire questions and defended their policies as legal, repeatedly arguing that they do not violate federal law by limiting local law enforcement interactions with federal immigration authorities.
At one point during the hearing, Congressman Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican, asked Wu how much the city spends on services for illegal immigrants.
“We don’t ask about immigration status,” Wu replied.
“You don’t ask about how much money the City of Boston has spent on illegal immigration? Are you out of your mind? Do you manage your budget or not, Mayor Wu?” Donalds asked.
“I manage my budget. I have a AAA bond rating,” Wu said.
Wu then said, “The City of Boston is sick of having people outside of Boston telling us what to do.”
The hearing went on for some six hours before U.S. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the panel’s Republican chair, called it to an end.
For a full recap of Wu’s testimony, click here.
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