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Boston Globe

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will testify before Congress about immigration enforcement this week. Here's what to expect.

Congressional hearings like this one have ended careers and soiled reputations; look no further than the 2023 panel on campus antisemitism that Advertisement Yet the high-profile public appearance, which comes at the beginning of a reelection year, also gives Wu the chance to tell the nation — and voters back home — about Boston's public safety success stories, and the city's approach to welcoming new arrivals. The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, 40-year-old Wu has benefitted from the Related : But in Boston's public safety record, Wu also has an enviable story to tell. She often touts Boston as the Advertisement Wu is expected to emphasize that public safety message in Washington. She told reporters last week that at the hearing, 'the most important thing is to bring the truth of what Boston is doing and who we are and why our policies are working in the community.' Wu, city officials said. By the time she speaks Wednesday, Wu will have roughly a dozen prep sessions under her belt in which she drilled with City Hall staff, outside counsel, and police officials. She often brought along her She called each member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, some of whom serve on the committee she'll appear before Wednesday. She also looked to Cahill Gordon & Reindel for help, selecting a firm that is not based in Boston but has offices in New York and on Washington, D.C.'s K Street, among other locations. As part of her prep, Wu met in recent weeks with Haitian leaders in Mattapan, advocates and nonprofit leaders in East Boston, faith leaders from across the city, and immigrant residents and business owners at La Colaborativa, in nearby Chelsea. She gathered stories she might share with the committee and also collected support from local leaders. Advertisement 'Our community is praying for you. We are with you,' said Imam Abdulqadir Farah of the Islamic Society of Boston after meeting with Wu last week. A central goal for Wu is to make the case to the committee, as she often has to her constituents, that the city's immigration policies do not undermine community safety, but rather bolster it. While Boston officials do not embrace the label 'sanctuary city' — a politicized term used primarily by Republicans to deride left-leaning cities — the Josh Zakim, a former Boston city councilor who authored the 2014 ordinance, said it was intended to ensure trust and cooperation between immigrant communities and law enforcement. 'We need people who are witnesses or victims of crime to come and talk to us if we're going to solve these crimes and get dangerous people off the streets,' he said. 'Nothing in the act is to impede or prevent federal officials from enforcing federal immigration law.' Attorneys who regularly prepare witnesses for congressional testimony warn that it can be difficult to escape unscathed. The soundbites that emerge tend to be good political fodder for the people asking the questions, not the ones answering them, they said. 'It's very difficult to win a hearing. It's easy to lose one, as a witness,' said Christopher Armstrong, a partner at Holland & Knight who co-leads the group's congressional investigations team. Wednesday's event is 'what I call a punching bag hearing,' he added. 'The reason they're holding this hearing is because they want to rake you over the coals and have spent about six weeks preparing for that.' Advertisement One approach, Armstrong said, is to avoid 'creating the big YouTube moments, because they'll often work against you.' Politicians may be used to answering tough questions from the media and constituents, but congressional hearings are not a level playing field, experts warned. The sessions require hours and hours of preparation, including digging up the same background research that oppositional congressional staff will find, and role playing the panel dynamics. Republicans on the committee have already set a combative tone for Wednesday's hearing. They released Boston has already been a target for national Republicans, particularly on immigration. 'I read a story last night: the police commissioner of Boston, you said you'd double down on not helping the law enforcement office of ICE,' Homan said during a recent speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. 'I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me.' In November, speaking about Wu's immigration policies during a television interview, Related : For all the bluster expected Wednesday, Wu may not be the most fiery mayor speaking before the committee — and that may be by design. She is relatively soft spoken, and has not always sought out the national spotlight. Other mayors appearing before the panel that day may face more aggressive questioning from the committee, and shoot back more aggressive answers. Advertisement Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver said last year Niki Griswold of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Emma Platoff can be reached at