Boston’s Mayor Wu prepared for congressional sanctuary city testimony with help of outside attorneys
Wu stated that he would never turn down an opportunity to defend Boston.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has prepared for a congressional hearing on Wednesday. She is expected to face questions from Republicans regarding the city’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
NewsCenter 5 learned that Wu’s preparation sessions included staff members from her office, Boston Police Department and the city’s Law Department. Senior advisors, as well as members of her cabinet, were also present. The city also retained Cahill Gordon & Reindel, a law firm that charges $950 an hour.
NewsCenter 5 learned that the city will pay up to $650,000 to the firm for its legal work in preparation for the hearing.
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Wu has tried to draw a distinction between immigration enforcement, and public safety. He cites a low level of violent crime within the city.
Wu spoke Tuesday at an event in the U.S. Capitol, where members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation introduced guests to President Donald Trump before his speech to the joint session of Congress.
Wu will testify alongside the mayors from Chicago, New York and Denver at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Wednesday. The Republican-led panel will probably criticize them harshly, as a promotional video for the hearing portrayed the mayors of Chicago, New York and Denver as villains.
Tom Homan has said that he will personally visit Boston.
Boston can help, or just get out of our way. We’re coming. She won’t stop us. Homan told Fox News last week that he would make Boston safer.
The committee is made up of two members from the Massachusetts Democratic congressional delegation: Rep. Ayanna pressley and Rep. Stephen Lynch. Both represent Boston.
“The Republican Chairman and Members of That Committee are Raising Money, Fundraising, Off of the Spectacle that They’re Putting Out There.” “That’s why you watched the trailer,” Lynch said. He compared the situation with the House Un-American Activities Committee of the 1930s.
“Fear certainly is a strategy for this administration. They intend to flood the area. Overwhelm. Pressley described the effect of the executive orders as “shock and awe” in a recent “Cityline” interview.
What makes Boston a Sanctuary City?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has the authority to enforce immigration laws across the country, but it needs assistance from local and state authorities in order to deport large numbers of people. It asks the police and sheriffs of certain cities to notify them about people they want to deport, and hold them in custody for up to 48-hours so that immigration officers can arrive and take them into custody.
Sanctuary cities restrict cooperation with people who are accused of committing crimes but have not been convicted. This is because state and local laws prohibit the transfer of people to ICE for no other reason than they do not have legal permission to enter the country.
The Boston Trust Act was updated in 2018 to allow police to work with ICE in “significant public safety issues, such as child exploitation, human trafficking and drug and weapon trafficking and cybercrimes” while abstaining from civil immigration enforcement.
The city must also follow a ruling from 2017 by the highest court of Massachusetts, which prohibits Massachusetts authorities to hold a person who is otherwise entitled for release solely based on a federal demand.
Hayden stated that “if someone has committed a serious crime, we believe in holding them accountable.” After we hold someone accountable, it’s up the federal government to decide what to do about their immigration consequences, or deportation if necessary. It’s up ICE.”
What can cities do if they don’t comply with the law?
A video released by the Republican-led panel portrays Wu, as well as several other mayors of big cities, as villains. Kentucky GOP Rep. James Comer said, “If they continue to disobey law, I think we should reduce as much federal funding as possible.”
The Trump administration is taking legal action against Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County for not cooperating with federal law. The Associated Press discovered that lawmakers in more than twenty states are pursuing legislation to combat so-called sanctuary towns, using the bill tracking software Plural.
Some of these communities have responded: the Boston suburbs Chelsea and Somerville sued, accusing Trump of violating their Constitutional rights.
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