Boston’s Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu is taking heat from local leaders for doubling down on liberal sanctuary city laws, and insisting “we stand with immigrants.”
Wu has previously stated that Boston will not cooperate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations — which she reiterated during her State of the City address Wednesday night.
“No one tells Boston how to take care of our own, not kings, and not presidents who think they are kings. Boston was born facing down bullies,” she said in her speech.
“You belong here,” she told immigrants.
Wu’s speech outraged conservative local leaders who oppose shielding illegal immigrants from ICE, claiming they put Bostonians at risk.
Massachusetts GOP spokesperson Logan Trupiano told Fox News that “there is simply no justifiable reason for her to stand in the way of this critical progress.”
“Mayor Wu must move beyond fearmongering and the mischaracterization of ICE and federal authorities,” he said.
“The city’s sanctuary policies have led to the release of dangerous individuals back into our communities, undermining public trust and security,” Trupiano added.
Trupiano said that Wu does not speak for Boston’s 650,000 residents — and noted a surge in arrests of illegal immigrant child sex predators and other criminals in the area.
“ICE has apprehended child predators, drug dealers, and gun runners – individuals responsible for heinous crimes that threaten public safety,” said Trupiano. “Given the recent arrests made by ICE in Massachusetts and Boston, it is hard to understand why Mayor Wu continues to oppose the Trump administration’s efforts.”
Former immigration judge and Center for Immigration Studies policy expert Andrew Arthur told the outlet that Wu’s policies pose a risk to citizens and threaten the safety of the migrant communities she’s vowed to protect.
“Sanctuary policies actually harm people in immigrant communities that are sanctuaries because they know that the cops aren’t going to turn those people over to ICE, they’re going to turn them back out onto the streets,” Arthur said.
“They don’t want to come forward [to report crimes], because they’re afraid that they’re going to be retaliated against,” he explained.
Arthur added that she and other sanctuary city leaders have actually “created … a sanctuary for criminals”
