Mayor Wu calls House Oversight Committee's video ahead of hearing 'dramatic'

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said it's "amusing" to see how much effort Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have put into "hyping up" a congressional hearing she and mayors of three other major cities are set to attend next week.

Wu is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee on March 5, along with the mayors of New York City, Chicago and Denver. They were called to testify about their cities' cooperation with federal immigration efforts.

The House Oversight Committee released a video on X Wednesday that supercuts President Trump talking about protecting Americans with news reels showing the mayors and immigration arrests in the four cities. The nearly 3-minute video made heavy use of TV static visuals and music often prominent in horror or suspense films.

"It's pretty dramatic," Wu said with a laugh when asked about the video at an event at Boston City Hall on Thursday. "We, at the city level, have so much to do every day. We're picking up trash, we're keeping the streets clean, we're working to keep everyone safe and healthy, and keep our schools running and all city services going. There's not too much extra time to worry about other videos."

In a statement describing the hearing, the chairman of the committee, U.S. Rep. James Comer alleged the mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City "have implemented reckless, illegal policies that shield criminal aliens from federal immigration enforcement and endanger public safety."

The Kentucky Republican said the hearing will be a way to hold those mayors "publicly accountable for refusing to abide by the law and placing Americans’ lives at risk.”

Wu said she hopes there's a chance to "share the facts and the truth" as well.

There's been a "mischaracterization of what immigrant communities represent and what cities who are welcoming to immigrant communities represent," she said.

Last week, the Trump administration's border czar Tom Holman told a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he would "bring hell" to Boston for not abiding federal immigration policy.

Wu has previously told WBUR that Boston officials are in full compliance with the law.

Local law enforcement assist federal immigration authorities on criminal matters; but city and state law prohibits local police from turning people over to ICE for immigration violations.

"I'm looking forward to having the chance to go to Washington and to speak the truth about Boston," she said on Thursday, "about what we see here and what we know is real, which is the experience of our residents on the ground, living in the safest major city in the country precisely because everyone feels connected to city services and knows that they can trust in their government and trust in their neighbors."

These comments came after the Boston Police Patrolmen Association said they would endorse her re-election campaign.

"I'm grateful for the support of so many of our hardworking police officers," she said, adding that a strong relationship between public safety officials and the community keeps the city safe.

In response to being asked if she's worried about losing federal funding as a target of the congressional investigation, Wu noted that city, state and federal government are supposed to work in tandem.

"We continue to hope that the important resources that are devoted to public safety and health and education and so much more that our families rely on continues. It's not just Bostonians who are affected — although that is where my focus is. It's other families in other blue states, in red states. It's Americans all across the country that are feeling it right now."

She noted that some of the lawmakers holding the hearing are the "same elected officials to cut Medicaid and cut cancer research."