ICE vs. Boston: Trump's border czar promises ‘we're going back'

Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar who promised to "bring hell" to Boston, announced Monday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested 370 immigrants in Boston and surrounding areas over the past week, the latest escalation in the ongoing war of words between federal officials and political leaders in Boston and Massachusetts.

In a social media post announcing the arrests, Homan singled out Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey for criticism, saying they are standing in the way of the Trump administration's efforts to deport criminals who are in the country illegally.

Here's a closer look at everything that led up to the events of this week:

Congress announces investigation into Boston's 'sanctuary city' status, calls Wu to testify

Within a week of Trump's inauguration, a U.S. congressional committee announced that it was investigating the sanctuary city policies of Boston and three other cities, inviting their mayors to testify at a hearing in Washington, D.C.

Boston is one of several sanctuary cities in Massachusetts, under a local policy that dates back over a decade. Wu defended it after Trump's re-election after he campaigned on the promise of an immigration crackdown.

Homan sounds off at CPAC

Homan teed off against Boston’s police commissioner in a February speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, saying there were at least nine accused “child rapists” in jail who local authorities wouldn't turn over to ICE. He promised to come to Boston and “bring hell with him.”

That came after Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said in an interview that police didn't have authority to enforce federal immigration laws or hand over people just because they’re in the country illegally — their immigration status isn’t “relevant to public safety,” he said.

The Boston Trust Act, updated in 2018, allows police to cooperate with ICE on “significant public safety, such as human trafficking, child exploitation, drug and weapons trafficking, and cybercrimes, while refraining from involvement in civil immigration enforcement.”

The city also must follow a 2017 ruling by the state’s highest court, which forbids Massachusetts authorities from holding a person otherwise entitled to release from custody based solely on a federal request.

In response, Wu said it was “clueless” and “insulting” for Homan to attack the commissioner, and that she wants Boston be a welcoming place for immigrants. Healey called Homan’s comments “unproductive” and ”not how you engage as a member of law enforcement.”

Mayor Wu testifies before Congress

On March 5, Wu and three other Democratic mayors testified before Congress about their so-called sanctuary city policies, with Republican committee members accusing them of endangering Americans and threatening to prosecute local officials.

The comments came in an often fiery hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where Republicans said the mayors were undermining President Donald Trump’s immigration and mass deportation efforts.

Republicans repeatedly highlighted a handful of brutal crimes committed by immigrants who crossed illegally into the U.S., with Rep. James Comer opening the hearings by saying the policies “only create sanctuary for criminals.”

But the Democratic mayors, including Wu, defended their policies as legal, even as they seemed to carefully avoid using the term “sanctuary.”

“I spoke with pastors whose pews are half-empty on Sundays,” said Wu, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan. “Doctors whose patients are missing appointments, teachers whose students aren’t coming to class, neighbors afraid to report crimes in their communities, and victims of violence who won’t call the police.

“This federal administration is making hard-working, taxpaying, God-fearing residents afraid to live their lives.”

Wu doubles down during State of the City Address

In her State of the City Address last week, Wu doubled down on her testimony before Congress.

"Two weeks ago, I went down to D.C. because Congress had some questions about how we do things here in Boston. Now it might have been my voice speaking into the microphone that day, but it was 700,000 voices that gave Congress their answer: This is our city," Wu said in her speech. "No one tells Boston how to take care of our own. Not kings, and not presidents who think they are kings. Boston was born facing down bullies."

She also directly responded to Homan's proclamation that he was "bringing hell" to Boston.

"Boston is the target in this fight for our future because we are the cradle of democracy, pioneers of the public good, the stewards and keepers of the American dream. We were built on the values this federal administration seeks to tear down," Wu said. "But for 395 years, come high water or hell — no matter who threatens to bring it — Boston has stood up for the people we love and the country we built, and we're not stopping now."

Border czar announces arrests of 370 Boston area immigrants

Federal immigration and law enforcement officials conducted a six-day "enhanced targeted enforcement operation focusing on transnational organized crime, gangs, and egregious illegal alien offenders" in Massachusetts over the last week, announcing Monday the apprehension of 370 individuals.

ICE said 205 of the people arrested during the March 18-23 focus on Massachusetts "had significant criminal convictions or charges," including six foreign fugitives currently facing charges or convictions for murder, drug trafficking, organized crime, and money laundering.

They said arrests were made in Boston, Marlborough, Worcester, Salem, Milford, Lowell, Medford, Wakefield, New Bedford, Pittsfield, and West Yarmouth.

Federal officials said they also seized 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, five kilograms of fentanyl, just more than one kilogram of cocaine, three firearms and ammunition from "illegal alien offenders."

"These officers and agents made the neighborhoods of Boston and Massachusetts much safer. They risked their own safety by arresting these criminals on the street, rather than a jail. Governor Healey and Mayor Wu should be ashamed of supporting sanctuary policies," Homan said in a social media post. "Releasing public safety threats back into the public, rather than working with ICE at the jails, puts the public at great risk.

Homan said he visited Boston at the start of the sweep last Tuesday. The FBI on Monday shared photos of the command center it established to support the federal immigration enforcement effort, including pictures from Homan's visit.

Healey, Wu respond to ICE raids

Asked Monday about Homan's comments, Healey said she hadn't seen what Homan said, but reiterated comments she's made recently, including an interview last week with NBC10 Boston.

"We are not a sanctuary state and we continue to cooperate with local, state and federal law enforcement," Healey said, adding, "I'm not sure what the director's referring to but it's certainly always been our position that those who do things that are crimes, that people who are violent in communities, should be held accountable and taken off the streets."

A spokesperson for Wu's office released a statement in response to the ICE raids, urging federal authorities to release more details about those arrested.

"Boston is the safest major city in the country, and we partner with all levels of law enforcement to prevent crime and hold perpetrators accountable. Given that we have no information on these arrests, we cannot confirm how many took place within Boston police jurisdiction or in other cities, and we cannot confirm whether every individual was lawfully detained. We strongly urge ICE to release information on all the individuals detained in order to ensure transparency."

Wu is scheduled to appear on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" on Tuesday night, where she could be asked to comment further on the situation.

Homan says feds will return to Boston

Border czar Homan appeared on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program on Tuesday morning to talk about the recent ICE operation in Boston, and said federal agents will be returning to the city soon.

"We're keeping President Trump's promise. President Trump promised we're going to secure the border, and he promised we're going to prioritize public safety threats, national safety threats."

"Boston, I said at CPAC they were a sanctuary state, and we're going to come despite theri santuary status, we're going to bring agents there and take these worst of the worst off the streets."

Now that they're in custody, he said "each and every one of them" will be deported.

"Mayor Wu in Boston said I was lying under oath, I was lying about her city. Well, we went to that city, went to the surrounding counties around the city, and look what we did in five days," Homan added. "We've got a lot of work to do. We're not done. We're going back, as I said. We're going to keep going back."