Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu held a press conference on Tuesday on City Hall Plaza to respond to a letter sent from the Department of Justice.
The DOJ said that Boston’s sanctuary city jurisdiction is in violation of the federal immigration policies, and the city must start complying with said policies as of Aug. 19 or risk losing federal funding.
Mayor Wu reaffirmed her stance that she believes the Trump Administration’s immigration policy is all wrong.
“We mayors said this in DC nearly six months ago, and I’ll say it again today: you are wrong on the law, and you are wrong on safety,” Wu said.
She spoke out against the deployment of ICE agents and the national guard into numerous cities.
“We’ve watched Donald Trump send the national guard into LA and DC to stoke fear and disorder. Boston stands with these cities as they sue over their abuse of power,” she said. “While you deploy military personnel to occupy American streets, we are building community safety; our police don’t have to hide their faces.”
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The mayor also slammed the president for how he has failed to succeed in what he promised, all while defunding programs meant to help the country. She also jabbed at the president, referencing some recent controversy he’s been connected to.
“Under the Trump Administration, groceries are less affordable, housing is harder to build, cures for cancer are farther away, and good news on our economy has been as hard to find as the Epstein list,” she said.
Wu also denounced the threat of having federal funding taken away, saying that the president was out of line.
“Funds that the city relies most often are congressionally appropriated, and so no individual person, even if they are the president can sign a piece of people and take away and override the will of congress,” Wu said. “We’ve already had the courts back us up on that front when it came to some housing grants, for example, and so when it is necessary, we will continue to make avail of the legal system and the courts.”
Lawmakers across the Commonwealth have shown their support for the mayor and are committed to not backing down to the administration’s threats.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.