Overview

• At a City Hall Plaza event, Mayor Michelle Wu delivered verbal remarks and a formal letter rejecting Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Aug. 19 directive to dismantle Boston’s sanctuary policies.
• The Justice Department has listed 35 jurisdictions, including Boston, as sanctuary areas and warned of potential lawsuits, funding cuts, and criminal exposure for officials who obstruct immigration enforcement.
• Wu defended Boston’s approach as lawful and effective, citing community policing and longstanding partnerships with state and federal agencies on counterterrorism, trafficking, and other crimes.
• Boston’s stance rests on the city’s Trust Act, which limits compliance with ICE detainers, and a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that bars holding people on civil immigration detainers.
• DHS officials castigated Wu’s position and indicated increased federal enforcement in the Boston area, while no specific penalties against the city have been imposed to date.