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BPD officers that share unauthorized info with ICE will be disciplined, Wu says
Wu's comments come as federal immigration enforcement officials reportedly plan a major operation in Boston.
Mayor Michelle Wu said this week that any Boston police officers who violate the city’s “sanctuary” policy by sharing certain pieces of information with ICE will be disciplined.
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Wu’s comments, made during an appearance on WBUR’s “Morning Edition,” comes as the Trump administration reportedly plans an immigration enforcement crackdown on Boston and threatens to take over South Station.
“Any violation of those rules would result in discipline, and that is known widely,” Wu said, per WBUR.
The rules in question are contained in the Boston Trust Act, an ordinance that has been in place since 2014. It was amended in 2019 and unanimously reaffirmed by the City Council ahead of President Trump’s second term.
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The Trust Act prohibits the BPD and other city officials from collaborating with federal authorities attempting to conduct civil immigration enforcement. The BPD cannot ask individuals about their immigration status or keep immigrants in custody for possible deportation by ICE unless a criminal warrant has been issued for their arrest. There are exceptions to this policy when it comes to matters of significant public safety importance, like human trafficking.
Wu argues that the Trust Act makes the city safer by allowing non-citizens to report crimes and contact the city without fear of detainment or deportation based solely on their immigration status.
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Federal officials, including powerful players like Attorney General Pam Bondi, are attempting to force local leaders like Wu to abandon policies like the Trust Act. They have accused Wu of shielding dangerous “criminal aliens” from prosecution, something Wu categorically denies.
As she vocally pushes back on the federal government’s efforts, Wu has earned new recognition nationally and a big lead in her fight for reelection.
After Wu rebutted Bondi last month, Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, said that the agency would soon “flood the zone” and have a larger presence in and around Boston.
Lyons previously served as the head of ICE’s Boston Field Office. He said that there are actually many BPD officers who are “pro-ICE” and are working with the agency “behind the scenes” and providing “intel” to the federal agency.
During her WBUR appearance, Wu said that she has seen no evidence of this actually happening.
The mayor was asked about the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops and federal agents to Washington, D.C. in a purported effort to eliminate crime. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has accommodated the federal operations in some ways and said that the crackdown has decreased criminal activity.
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The nation’s capital is very different from Boston, Wu said. She conceded that efforts like these could temporarily deter crime, but that having armed troops stationed around major cities is “not a way to live.” The Trump administration’s actions will do little to help fight crime in the long run, Wu said.
Although a federal judge just ruled that Trump’s use of the National Guard in Los Angeles was illegal, the president is openly promising to send federal troops to Chicago and other notable cities.
Local leaders are preparing for a range of outcomes, Wu said.
“Cities around the country right now, everybody is making preparations just in case,” she said. “We cannot predict what will happen. This is not an administration that deals in reason, logic, and law. It is about retaliation. It is about complete obedience.”
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