Trump Administration Sues Boston Over Sanctuary City Policy

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Boston and Mayor Michelle Wu over the city’s sanctuary policy, which restricts cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday, also names the Boston Police Department and its commissioner. It argues that the city’s policy violates federal law by preventing authorities from assisting federal officials in enforcing immigration laws. The Boston Trust Act, passed in 2014 and updated in 2019, bars local officials from arresting people based solely on Immigration and Customs Enforcement warrants, holding individuals on ICE detainer requests, or notifying the agency about release times.

“These provisions reflect the City’s intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law,” the Justice Department said in its filing.

Mayor Wu sharply criticized the lawsuit, calling it an “unconstitutional attack” and pledging to defend the city’s policy. “Boston is a thriving community, the economic and cultural hub of New England, and the safest major city in the country—but this administration is intent on attacking our community to advance their own authoritarian agenda,” she said.

The Trump administration has targeted multiple jurisdictions with similar policies. Lawsuits have been filed against Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, though a federal judge in Illinois recently dismissed the government’s case against Chicago.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has also threatened to withhold federal funding from noncompliant cities, but a federal judge ruled last month that the administration cannot deny funds to Boston and other jurisdictions.

Wu, who has publicly resisted Trump’s immigration crackdown, reiterated her stance last month: “Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures. Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law.”

Credit: CNN Newsource

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