Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has agreed to testify before Congress as House Republicans and the Trump administration take aim at major sanctuary cities across the country.
Wu on Monday said she is willing to comply with a request by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to speak about Boston’s sanctuary policies prohibiting cooperating between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. As part of its investigation into several major sanctuary cities, the House Oversight Committee has requested the mayors of Boston, New York City and Chicago to testify before Congress and hand over pertinent documentation.
“We are taking the request very seriously in terms of producing information and being responsive,” Wu said Monday, according to MassLive.
“I do plan to and would like to participate, but at a time that would work better and would be more appropriate,” Wu said, citing the recent birth of her child as reason to delay the date to speak before Congress. “The timeline is quite fast, especially in my personal circumstance of just having given birth not too long ago and sort of staying in touch with my doctor about what makes sense from a recovery perspective.”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer on Jan. 28 delivered letters to Democratic Mayors Eric Adams of New York City, Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Wu of Boston, asking each to hand over internal documentation and communication between staffers and outside personnel relating to their cities’ sanctuary policies. The requests, Comer said, is part of the committee’s investigation into sanctuary cities.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States and their impact on public safety and the effectiveness of federal efforts to enforce the immigration laws of the United States,” Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, stated in the announcement. “Sanctuary jurisdictions and their misguided and obstructionist policies hinder the ability of federal law enforcement officers to effectuate safe arrests and remove dangerous criminals from American communities, making Americans less safe.”
While localities are allowed to implement laws that bar law enforcement from helping or otherwise engaging in federal law enforcement matters such as immigration enforcement, they cannot impede deportation officers or harbor wanted illegal migrants from justice.
Boston, which recently reaffirmed its sanctuary city status, has repeatedly butt heads with federal immigration authorities. An ICE spokesperson confirmed to the Boston Herald that the city had ignored a total of 198 immigration detainer requests on illegal migrants who had been charged with “egregious criminal activity” throughout 2024.
Border Czar Tom Homan — who is leading the Trump administration’s deportation operations — previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he will hold responsible those that are knowingly concealing and harboring an illegal migrant from Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehension by referring any such offenders for protection.
The Trump administration has not hesitated to go after individuals who have allowed illegal migrants evade apprehension — particularly in the Boston area.
During the first Trump administration, a district court judge just several miles west of Boston was indicted with obstruction of justice and other charges for allegedly allowing an illegal migrant in her courtroom to escape through a backdoor while she was aware that an ICE agent was waiting in the lobby for that individual. The Biden administration eventually dropped those felony charges, but the judge is still facing reprimand from a state committee.
Since President Donald Trump resumed office in January, the Department of Justice has established a working group tasked with its own investigation into sanctuary cities and pursuing legal action when necessary.
Comer’s investigation asks the mayors to hand over their documentation by Feb 10. and testify before his committee on Feb. 11. Neither Adams nor Johnson have confirmed whether or not they will testify before the House committee.
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