Boston Mayor Michelle Wu learned a hard lesson on Friday. You can sign all the grandstanding executive orders you want, but federal law enforcement does not take orders from a progressive press conference.
Just one day after Wu tried to tie the hands of immigration agents, ICE showed up in her own backyard and did exactly what they are paid to do.
On Thursday, Wu signed what she dramatically titled “An Executive Order To Protect Bostonians From Unconstitutional and Violent Federal Operations.” Translation, another sanctuary-city stunt designed to score political points while pretending federal immigration law is optional. The order bans federal agencies, including ICE, from using city-owned property for immigration enforcement and threatens investigations into federal agents who dare to operate in Boston.
Wu claimed the order was about “de-escalation” and “accountability,” while accusing ICE of racial profiling, refusing to identify themselves, and wearing masks to protect their identities. She also bizarrely tied the order to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, despite both incidents involving individuals who were actively attacking federal agents. Facts were clearly not the priority.
What happened next could not have been scripted better.
On Friday, ICE agents entered the Roslindale neighborhood to carry out enforcement operations. During the operation, agents arrested an illegal alien who tried to flee in his vehicle before being taken into custody. No city property was needed. No permission was requested. No executive order was consulted.
And here’s the part that makes it delicious.
Roslindale just happens to be the neighborhood where Wu herself lives.
You couldn’t design a more perfect example of political karma. Less than 24 hours after lecturing the public about banning ICE from Boston, ICE made it crystal clear that federal authority does not evaporate because a mayor is having a tantrum.
Wu’s office had insisted that Boston police would investigate crimes “including those committed by federal officials” and refer them to the Suffolk County District Attorney or the Massachusetts Attorney General. That threat now looks exactly as hollow as it sounded at the time.
ICE agents are operating under federal law, not progressive vibes. They do not need Mayor Wu’s approval, her parking lots, or her carefully curated talking points.
The episode also exposed how unserious Wu’s complaints really are. She criticized agents for wearing masks, ignoring the very real threats against ICE officers and their families. She demanded body cameras, even as Democrats work overtime to defund and obstruct the same agencies they claim to want transparency from.
In the end, Wu’s executive order accomplished one thing. It turned her into a punchline.
ICE did not argue. ICE did not tweet. ICE simply showed up, enforced the law, and did it in the one place that probably stung the most.
Right at home.
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