BOSTON — Mayor Michelle Wu, facing the possibility of Boston losing millions in federal dollars, on Tuesday spoke after being asked to testify at a sanctuary cities hearing on Capitol Hill.
Federal lawmakers on Monday announced an investigation into the policies of sanctuary cities, inviting the mayors of Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Denver all to testify on Capitol Hill on Feb. 11.
Four cities “stand out in their abject failure to comply with federal law: Chicago, New York City, Denver, and Boston. Citizens of all four cities have suffered due to sanctuary policies,” House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer said in a letter to Wu.
Boston is a sanctuary jurisdiction under the Boston Trust Act, which was reaffirmed in December 2024.
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Wu, in speaking to reporters late Tuesday morning, said she is still reviewing Comer’s letter. She did not say whether she would travel to Washington to testify before lawmakers.
“We feel that we are on solid legal ground as we are following the law every single day,” the mayor said, adding that she has not received a subpeona from Washington.
Comer requested documents and communications related to the sanctuary policies in the cities, mainly regarding their impact on public safety and federal immigration enforcement.
Comer said that sanctuary cities like Boston are using “misguided and obstructionist policies” to shield migrants from law enforcement.
“[The policies] hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe,” he said. “Boston is a sanctuary jurisdiction that refuses to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.”
Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested several undocumented individuals with criminal histories in Boston, including alleged gang members and some wanted for violent crimes such as rape and murder.
Fox News video shared with Boston 25 provided an inside look at ICE agents making arrests in East Boston on Wednesday as President Donald Trump cracks down on immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
Wu, along with mayors Eric Adams, Brandon Johnson, and Mike Johnston, have been asked to appear at the Capitol Hill hearing on Feb. 11.
On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump “took decisive actions to restore the rule of law with respect to immigration enforcement,” Comer said in his letter to Wu.
“One action included a directive to the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security “to . . . evaluate and undertake any lawful actions to ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions, which seek to interfere with the lawful exercise of Federal law enforcement operations, do not receive access to Federal funds,” Comer said.
And starting Tuesday, the White House is pausing federal grants and loans as President Donald Trump’s administration begins an across-the-board ideological review of its spending, the Associated Press reported.
Calling the directive and the possible loss of federal funding “a wide-ranging threat,” Wu said city officials continue to work with federal officials, but that “At the city level, we can’t control what the federal government does.”
“There are consequences to elections and this administration, unfortunately, has the right to make some of the changes that they’re talking about,” Wu said.
“They don’t have the right to make some of the illegal changes that have also been put on the table and that’s up to the courts to sort that out and Congress in a lot of ways to take action,” Wu said.
“What we know here at the local level is that we are not participating in the federal government’s actions,” Wu said. “We cannot overrule what they do, just as they cannot overrule or step into what is within our domain here at the local level.”
Wu also told reporters that Boston continues to not ask its residents about immigration status.
“Within our domain, we are very clear -- in schools, in interactions with public safety officials, in community centers, we don’t ask about immigration status,” Wu said.
“We hold everyone accountable regardless of immigration status for any crimes or harm that’s committed, and we also work very hard to ensure that there is full access to services, regardless of immigration status and for everyone in our community,” Wu said.
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Regarding immigration, Wu said, “largely what we have seen across the country in terms of the actions so far have mirrored the priorities and the same types of actions that took place under federal enforcement under the Biden administration.” Wu said.
“However, they’re now including Fox News being embedded and going along on these actions or bringing other celebrities to document what’s happening to create a sense of greater impact with that fear and destabilization,” Wu said.
The city is awaiting “tens of millions” of dollars in federal funding that have been awarded to the city under the Biden administration, Wu said. The federal grants are earmarked for transportation, climate, green infrastructure, childcare, and jobs.
“That’s in the tens of millions of dollars that we are obligated but not yet received, although we worked very closely to get them in contract forms so that they would be codified in those legal documents,” Wu said.
Then, Wu said, there’s federal funding for police, fire, housing and addressing homelessness.
“I can’t imagine that it will be implemented to the fullest,” Wu said of the new federal directive.
When asked about Councilor Ed Flynn’s statement whether Boston Police could be doing a “better job” of cooperating with federal authorities, Wu said she’d be open to understanding any recommendations put forth by councilors.
“We work with the federal government every single day,” Wu said. “As mentioned, our track record and the numbers when it comes to public safety show that our strategies and the types of collaborations that we have are making a difference.”
“We’ve seen dramatic decreases in crime year over year and when it comes to those individuals who have perpetrated harm in the community or who have committed crimes, our police department holds them accountable, no matter who they are,” Wu said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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