Responding to GOP criticism, Wu says Boston's policies foster trust and support safety

Mayor Michelle Wu said her city's policies promote trust and support public safety as Boston continues to receive criticism from the GOP for its status as a sanctuary city ahead of a congressional hearing next week.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee on Wednesday targeted Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other mayors of so-called sanctuary cities in preparation for a congressional hearing diving into the issue next week.

The video says the leaders will be "held accountable" and accuses them of running "lawless cities."

Described as "hype video," the clip features Wu and the mayors of New York, Chicago and Denver.

"This is the first time that I've been part of a movie trailer for a congressional hearing," the mayor quipped when asked about the video on Thursday. "It's an important topic about how we in Boston are keeping everyone safe and so no matter the drama around it, I look forward to going down there and telling them who Boston is, who we are as a city, what we're doing and why it's working."

 All four mayors have been called to testify at next week’s Congressional hearings about their policies as sanctuary cities and whether they’ll cooperate with President Trump’s deportation plans.

In a statement about sanctuary cities, Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said, "criminal alien predators should not be free to roam our communities. State and local governments that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts should not receive a penny of federal funding.”

Wu said her concern is ensuring her residents feel safe reaching out for resources and accessing government supports because that's the key to a strong community.

"It takes all of us in our community feeling safe, trusting each other trusting law enforcement and our city government in order to deliver that city for everyone. We're proud to be the safest major city in America," Wu added.

 The House committee said it wants to hold sanctuary city mayors accountable for their actions, though it was not clear what that would look like.

“We are going to fight back against anyone who thinks they are going to come into our city and cause, wreak havoc or cause harm and we’re instead we are going to be that community for everyone where we take care of each other," Wu said.

Not everyone agrees with Wu's open arms approach.

“It’s not fair to American taxpayers, to the taxpayers here in the Commonwealth to have people come in from countries we don’t even know where they’re coming from, they come in without papers, and they come straight to Massachusetts where they know they can get free benefits," Janet Fogarty, Republican National Committeewoman for Massachusetts, said.

The mayor has been making the rounds with allies over the past few days drumming up support, from faith leaders to pro-immigrant organizations, while picking up endorsements Thursday from the Boston Police Patrolman's Association — the largest police union in the city — and the Boston EMS Union for her reelection campaign.

BPPA President Lawrence Calderone said it's the first time the union is making an endorsement for mayor in 30 years, insisting that the timing of the endorsements is only coincidental.

He agrees with Wu in that Boston is one of the safest major cities in the country, and he disagrees with the notion that authorities in the city are letting criminals roam free.

"We're going to enforce the laws. We're going to adhere to department losing regulations," Calderone said. "We are going to go up the chain of command and make sure that we're following the guidelines and the laws like we're supposed to."

The video is the latest action throwing national attention on Boston and its policies.

Over the weekend White House's border czar Tom Homan took aim at Boston, criticizing Police Commissioner Michael Cox. Wu fired back, defending Cox and stating that "Boston's crime levels are at the lowest ever reported in our history."

It's worth noting that while Boston considers itself a sanctuary city, Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state. Wu is scheduled to testify in that hearing in DC next Wednesday.

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