House Republican refers Boston Mayor Wu to feds for criminal probe into sanctuary policies

BOSTON — House Republican Anna Paulina Luna formally recommended that the Department of Justice open an investigation into Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, saying that her enforcement of the city’s sanctuary policies may violate federal immigration law.

Luna, a Florida congresswoman, announced at last week’s hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that she would be “criminally referring” all four participating sanctuary mayors to the Department of Justice. Ultimately, she opted to refer three of the four for a criminal probe.

Wu, along with the mayors of Chicago and Denver, Brandon Johnson and Mike Johnston, were formally recommended for investigation. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was not, a spokesperson for Luna told the Herald Friday.

“I write to formally request an investigation into Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s enforcement of sanctuary city policies, specifically the Boston Trust Act, which may constitute violations of federal immigration law,” Luna wrote in a March 5 letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“By limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, the Boston Trust Act and Mayor Wu’s directives may be construed as attempts to harbor or shield unauthorized immigrants, potentially violating … federal statues,” Luna wrote.

Boston’s sanctuary status is enshrined in the Trust Act, a 2014 local law that prohibits city police and other departments from cooperating with federal authorities on civil immigration detainers.

It was amended in 2019 and unanimously reaffirmed by the Boston City Council last December. City officials say the local law allows for cooperation with the feds in criminal matters like human trafficking, child exploitation, drug and weapons trafficking and cybercrimes.

Luna’s letter describes the Boston Trust Act as a law that “prohibits local officials from detaining individuals based solely” on detainer requests from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “even if the individuals have criminal histories.”

Her letter also states that the Trust Act “restricts local officials from inquiring about a person’s immigration status and from responding to ICE requests for information regarding an individual’s criminal history.”

Luna cited the sections of federal immigration law that she sees Wu as being in violation of through enforcement of the Trust Act, along with public statements Boston’s mayor has made about “her commitment to non-cooperation with ICE.”

Federal immigration law, Luna’s letter states, “prohibits concealing, harboring, or shielding unauthorized immigrants from detention,” and “criminalizes attempts to encourage or induce unauthorized immigration.”

The Florida congresswoman also cited a section of federal law that she says “stipulates that local governments cannot prohibit or restrict communication with federal immigration authorities regarding individuals’ immigration status.”

“Mayor Wu has publicly reaffirmed Boston’s status as a sanctuary city and has expressed her commitment to non-cooperation with ICE, stating that such federal efforts ‘actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear,’” Luna wrote.

Given the “potential conflicts between Boston’s sanctuary city policies and federal immigration laws,” Luna said, “I urge the Department of Justice to investigate whether Mayor Michelle Wu’s actions constitute violations.”

The Department of Justice did not immediately return a Herald inquiry about whether the attorney general plans to follow through on Luna’s requested probe.

Wu’s office did not immediately provide a comment on the matter.

Asked about the potential for referral to the DOJ for criminal prosecution after last week’s hearing in Washington, D.C., Wu told reporters, “Boston follows the laws.”

Wu said during a radio appearance this week that her office was “continuing with the document production that has been formally requested” by the committee.

She defended the $650,000 legal bill city taxpayers will pay for her hearing preparation and document production as necessary in light of “threats to put me in jail” and “take away” federal funding from the city.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat who sat alongside Wu on the Boston City Council, said last week that while she thought criminal charges would be baseless, she wouldn’t “underestimate” the Trump administration.

“They continue to push the bounds of what is criminality, to stoke the flames of fear-mongering, of demonizing our neighbors, our loved ones, our communities and the cities that we love,” Pressley told reporters last week in D.C.

Wu said at last week’s hearing that Boston Police enforce criminal warrants, regardless of immigration status. She said this week on the radio that Boston would not assist with the federal government’s “mass deportation” efforts.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said after last week’s hearing that there would be “serious consequences” for the mayors, including cuts to federal funding for their cities, if they continue to “obstruct” the deportation of “criminal illegals.”

Luna’s office did not mention why the congresswoman opted not to refer New York’s mayor to the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation.

Adams, the New York mayor facing federal corruption charges, was pressed by several Democrats at last week’s hearing to reveal the circumstances behind the Trump administration’s push to drop the case.

The Justice Department, per a Wall Street Journal report, ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop their bribery case against Adams last month, saying in a memo that the indictment had interfered with the mayor’s ability to participate in Trump’s immigration enforcement.

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