Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stated town will look to proceed to guard immigrants in “every possible way” underneath the specter of mass deportations from President-elect Donald Trump.
“Elections have consequences, and the federal government is responsible for a certain set of actions, and cities — no individual city — can reverse or override some parts of that,” Wu stated on WCVB’s “On the Record” phase that aired Sunday. “But what we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way; that we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large scale economic impacts.”
Wu cited Boston’s standing as a sanctuary metropolis underneath the Belief Act handed in 2014, which limits cooperation with some federal immigration legal guidelines. The legislation prohibits Boston police and different metropolis departments from cooperating with ICE relating to detaining immigrants on civil warrants, whereas nonetheless permitting for cooperation in prison issues like human trafficking and cyber crimes.
Massachusetts cities together with Somerville and Amherst have not too long ago reaffirmed their commitments to stay sanctuary cities, because the Trump marketing campaign’s guarantees of mass deportations loom.
Wu beforehand instructed WGBH town has legal guidelines stopping native police from helping underneath any mass deportation efforts based mostly solely on immigration standing.
“We want immigrants to know that it is safe for everyone to be able to feel comfortable reaching out for emergency services, to report a crime, to ask for help, and generally, to be part of our community,” Wu stated Sunday.
Boston sources together with housing are “stretched,” Wu stated, with many shelters already at “winter levels of over-capacity already during the summer” as new residents arrive.
Wu didn’t give many specifics as to what town position could also be if federal officers step up deportation efforts regionally, however stated she doesn’t need individuals to really feel out of the blue like they should “retreat into the shadows.”
“Reaching out to city services, whether it’s calling 911 when you need it, or taking your child to school — those are all city services that have nothing to do with immigration enforcement,” stated Wu. “And we will continue to protect our residents within those spaces.”
