Ice Chief Threatens To 'flood' Boston With Agents After Mayor Won't Abandon Sanctuary Policy

The caput of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has threatened to “flood” Boston pinch migration agents pursuing Mayor Michelle Wu’s refusal to driblet nan city’s sanctuary policies.

Todd Lyons, nan acting head of ICE, said during a Wednesday question and reply connected nan Howie Carr Show, a blimpish power program, that nan agency would grow its beingness successful nan area. His comments travel a property convention earlier this week erstwhile Wu said that Boston would “not backmost down” from its argumentation of limiting constabulary from cooperating pinch ICE connected civilian migration enforcement efforts.

Lyons said that sanctuary policies for illustration that of Boston are detrimental to safety.

“We’re decidedly going to, arsenic you’ve heard nan saying, flood nan zone, particularly successful sanctuary jurisdictions,” Lyons said connected nan power show. “Obviously Boston and Massachusetts decided that they wanted to enactment sanctuary … So 100%, you’re going to spot much ICE presence.”

When asked astir Lyons’ interview, Wu’s agency directed NBC News to nan mayor’s comments to reporters connected nan taxable astatine an unrelated Thursday event.

“This is simply a beautiful, diverse, unthinkable city, and I person said it now very directly: This management needs to extremity attacking cities to hide their ain failures,” Wu said.

Boston has a robust migrant population, pinch more than 28% of its residents being foreign-born arsenic of 2021. China, nan Dominican Republic, Haiti and Vietnam dress up nan apical countries of origin. In caller years, crime has continued to driblet steadily, pinch homicides reaching a historical low by nan extremity of 2024. Robberies, aggravated assaults and centrifugal conveyance thefts and fraud related offenses person also dropped crossed Massachusetts, according to information released by nan state.

Tensions betwixt Wu and nan Trump management came to a caput past week, erstwhile nan Justice Department sent letters to 35 sanctuary jurisdictions demanding they extremity nan migration protections. The DOJ ordered nan jurisdictions to taxable plans by early this week to show that they are taking steps to ditch nan policies, threatening to trim disconnected national backing and prosecute officials if nan cities didn’t comply.

“You are hereby notified that your jurisdiction has been identified arsenic 1 that engages successful sanctuary policies and practices that thwart national migration enforcement to nan detriment of nan interests of nan United States,” nan letter, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, said. “This ends now.”

Wu deed backmost successful a heated letter to Bondi connected Tuesday, calling nan lawyer general’s demands an “attack” connected U.S. cities and a maneuver to “make Americans fearful of 1 another.”

“On behalf of nan group of Boston, and successful solidarity pinch nan cities and communities targeted by this national management for our refusal to front down to unconstitutional threats and unlawful coercion, we affirm our support for each different and for our democracy,” Wu wrote. “Boston will ne'er backmost down from being a beacon of freedom, and a location for everyone.”

The Boston politician further slammed nan DOJ’s demands during a property convention extracurricular City Hall that aforesaid day.

“You are incorrect connected nan rule and you are incorrect connected safety,” Wu said. “Most of all, you are incorrect connected cities.”

Boston’s migration protections agelong backmost to 2014, erstwhile nan metropolis enacted nan Boston Trust Act aimed astatine promoting spot betwixt migrant communities and section rule enforcement. The legislation, which was amended successful 2019, allows nan Boston Police Department to collaborate pinch ICE connected issues of “significant nationalist safety” — including quality trafficking, kid exploitation, supplier and weapons trafficking and cybercrimes — but keeps BPD retired of civilian migration enforcement. Most recently, astatine nan extremity of 2024, nan City Council adopted a solution that reaffirmed nan act.

“The Trust Act’s provisions person been instrumental successful fostering a safe and welcoming situation for each residents, ensuring that immigrants tin prosecute pinch section rule enforcement without fearfulness of deportation,” nan solution said.