Wu mulls response as Trump administration issues 'demand' for more ICE collaboration

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hasn't formally responded to the federal government’s latest threat to cut funding and take legal action over the city’s immigration enforcement policies yet, but gave a glimpse into her thinking on Monday.

“Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law and we will respond and have more to share on that when we finalize our response,” Wu told reporters.

Last week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she sent “demand letters” to Boston and 31 other cities and states that she alleges limit police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Boston's Trust Act allows city police to work with federal immigration officers in criminal cases, but not for civil enforcement.

Calling them "sanctuary" communities, Bondi wants the jurisdictions cited in her letter to change their practices, from working more closely on arrests to stopping food and housing assistance for immigrants.

Bondi gave the cited communities until Tuesday to respond. While she threatened further federal investigation and legal action, she was less clear about financial sanctions the administration may impose if the communities don't respond.

“Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens,” Bondi posted on X on Thursday, “can either come to the table or see us in court.”

Wu on Monday said the city would respond by Bondi's deadline.

“ Boston is a home for everyone," she said. "We will never back down from who we are and what we stand for.”

According to a media advisory, the mayor will speak more in depth about the letter and “highlight the community policing, partnerships, and investments that make Boston the safest major city in America” at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday on City Hall Plaza.

The city has weathered the Trump administration's increasing ire over immigration enforcement since the President returned to office in January. In March, Wu was lauded by supporters for her performance in front of a Congressional committee that grilled her and three other big-city mayors over so-called “sanctuary” policies. The mayor has defended the city’s policy that Boston Police assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in criminal matters, but do not get involved in civil immigration arrests.

Wu’s willingness to push back on the Trump administration has become a defining feature of her re-election campaign in the Boston mayor’s race. It has also helped distinguish her as a national figure.

However, the federal government under Trump has already shown it’s willing to disrupt cities and institutions that do not accede to his demands.

In June, the Trump administration deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests against ICE raids, saying they were needed to protect federal property and law enforcement agents. California Gov. Gavin Newson sued, saying the deployment was unconstitutional and unnecessary.

Last week, National Guard members began patrolling Washington D.C. because, Trump said — despite evidence to the contrary — the city had been "overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people." And now those Guard member may be carrying weapons.

With additional reporting from WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez.