Boston Mayor Michelle Wu pushed back on a line of questioning by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., at a House Oversight hearing Wednesday on immigration and “sanctuary cities.”
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Gosar asked Wu if the federal government has jurisdiction over all immigration laws. Boston restricts how much police can cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under its Trust Act.
“We’re the ones who can define that,” he said of Congress, accusing the mayor of defining immigration policy based on false premises.
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“Respectfully, Congressman, you could pass bipartisan legislation, and that would be comprehensive immigration law,” Wu said. “The false narrative is that immigrants in general are criminals, immigrants in general cause all sorts of danger and harm. That is actually what is undermining safety in our communities.”
Just over a year ago, Senate Republicans failed to advance a bipartisan immigration reform bill that had taken months to negotiate. Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump had lobbied behind the scenes against the bill.
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Wu continued her response to Gosar: “If you wanted to make us safe, pass gun reforms. Stop cutting Medicaid. Stop cutting cancer research. Stop cutting funds for veterans. That is what will make our city safe.”
Other mayors who appeared before the committee to answer questions about immigration enforcement included Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mike Johnston of Denver and Eric Adams of New York.
