The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance today responded to news that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed suit against the City of Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu, and Police Commissioner Michael Cox over Boston’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement due to the city’s sanctuary policy known as the “Trust Act.”
“Mayor Wu has made it her mission to put ideology above public safety, the law, and efficient government. Boston’s so-called ‘Trust Act’ isn’t about trust at all. It’s about shielding people here illegally from lawful federal enforcement and tying the hands of local police officers. Now, taxpayers are left paying the price for a policy that makes their city less safe, and the Department of Justice is stepping in to do what Wu refuses to: protect the people of Boston,” said Paul D. Craney, Executive Director for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.
Boston’s “Trust Act” prohibits city police from honoring federal immigration detainer requests unless accompanied by a criminal warrant, creating gaps that allow dangerous individuals to slip through the cracks, while taxpayers continue to foot the bill for the consequences and duplicative services from the federal government
“Boston residents deserve better than a mayor who shields people here illegally while ignoring the genuine and serious safety concerns facing the citizens of Boston. Until Wu puts enforcing the law and public safety first, the federal government should withhold discretionary funds. Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize policies that deliberately undermine law enforcement. Instead of cooperating with federal authorities, Wu’s policy forces taxpayers to pay for duplicative services as federal law enforcement is left to track down individuals who could have been safely and efficiently transferred while already in city custody,” Craney added.
The organization also pointed to Governor Maura Healey’s role in making Massachusetts a sanctuary state in practice. As Attorney General in 2017, Healey argued and celebrated the Supreme Judicial Court’s Lunn v. Commonwealth decision, which her office litigated and which stripped local law enforcement of the authority to honor federal civil immigration detainers without a criminal warrant. At the time, Healey called the ruling “a victory” and praised it as a rejection of federal enforcement.
“Governor Healey cannot continue to insist Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state when she personally prosecuted the case that made it one. If she truly believes Massachusetts shouldn’t have sanctuary policies, she should work with the legislature to ban them statewide, starting with Boston,” noted Craney.
“The federal lawsuit makes clear what many taxpayers have known for years: Boston’s sanctuary policies are reckless, costly, and dangerous. Mayor Wu must be held accountable, and Governor Healey must act to end sanctuary city policies before more people are put at risk,” closed Craney.