The Trump administration on Thursday sued Boston over sanctuary laws that make it more difficult for federal immigration enforcement to target illegal migrant criminals in the city.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox and the City of Boston for sanctuary laws that, according to federal prosecutors, undermine law enforcement and the safety of communities, according to court documents. The lawsuit comes just weeks after the DOJ demanded Boston leaders begin complying with federal immigration authorities, or else face the possibility of reduced funding or a civil lawsuit.
“The City of Boston and its Mayor have been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America – they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a public statement.
“If Boston won’t protect its citizens from illegal alien crime, this Department of Justice will,” Bondi continued.
In its lawsuit, the DOJ specifically cites the Boston Trust Act, an ordinance that directs police officers to refuse Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, which the administration argues is “essential” for enforcing immigration law. The Boston ICE field office has lodged detainer requests — which notify local law enforcement of the agency’s intent to assume custody of a foreign national — against migrants with “violent and serious” criminal charges, such as homicide, sexual and drug-related offenses, according to the lawsuit.
“Not only are Boston’s sanctuary city policies illegal under federal law, but, as alleged in the complaint, Boston’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities results in the release of dangerous criminals from police custody who would otherwise be subject to removal, including illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, burglary, and drug and human trafficking, onto the streets,” the DOJ stated in a press release.
Bondi formally issued a letter to Wu on Aug. 13, notifying her that Boston had been identified as a sanctuary jurisdiction for policies that “thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States.” The Attorney General declared that “this ends now” and directed the mayor to acknowledge her commitment to ICE compliance within a week’s time.
In response to this letter, Wu held a defiant press event in which she declared she would not comply. Her public speech began with a performance by a local mariachi band.
Boston is just the latest sanctuary city to be targeted with litigation by the Trump administration.
Trump’s DOJ has filed similar lawsuits against New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and a slate of New Jersey cities. In some cases, the Trump administration has successfully forced sanctuary jurisdictions into compliance, such as when the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, declared he would be directing his police force to better cooperate with ICE agents.
“This unconstitutional attack on our city is not a surprise,” Wu said in a Friday statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Boston is a thriving community, the economic and cultural hub of New England, and the safest major city in the country — but this administration is intent on attacking our community to advance their own authoritarian agenda.”
“This is our City, and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country,” Wu continued. “We will not yield.”
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