5 days ago
‘False narratives': Mass. US attorney blasts Boston Mayor Wu over remarks on ICE
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley sharply criticized Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in a video released Wednesday morning, accusing Wu of creating 'false narratives' about the mission of federal immigration enforcement.
The video is a response to comments Wu made during The WBUR Festival this weekend, where she labeled Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, 'secret police.'
'Every aspect of what's happening at the federal level is causing harm in our local communities,' Wu said. 'People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors, folks getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained.'
But Foley, who was appointed by President Donald Trump's administration in January, shot back forcefully in the recorded statement, which came just days after she and other federal officials announced the arrest of nearly 1,500 people in Massachusetts.
Foley called Wu's comments 'reckless and inflammatory.'
'Referring to federal agents as 'secret police' is offensive,' Foley said in the video posted to X. 'There are no secret police. ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement partners, are making immigration arrests. That is no secret. They are arresting individuals who are here illegally, which is a violation of federal law.'
'Every enforcement action is conducted within the bounds of the Constitution and our laws with oversight, legal justification and accountability. To claim otherwise is a gross misrepresentation and a disservice to the public,' Foley continued.
Foley repeated a claim made during the Monday press conference about the arrests, saying ICE agents are wearing masks to cover their faces for fear of their personal information being leaked online. She blamed Wu and others for spreading 'false narratives' about the agency's mission.
Wu's claim that people are being 'snatched' off the street is 'offensive,' Foley said.
'On the contrary, every arrest or detention is pursuant to and sanctioned by federal law,' she continued. 'The U.S. Attorney's Office stands in support of our federal law enforcement partners, whose mission it is to protect the residents of Massachusetts, regardless of the noise being generated by politicians who either do not understand federal law or simply believe our nation's immigration laws should not be enforced. We will not apologize for doing our job.'
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