Donald Trump's incoming border czar issued a stern warning to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ahead of the president-elect's mass deportation plans.
Tom Homan, 62, said he hopes Wu, 39, doesn't 'cross the line' when it comes to his and Trump's plans to deport millions of migrants once taking office in January.
Wu vowed to continue to protect migrants inside her sanctuary city in 'every possible way,' she told WCVB’s On the Record on Sunday.
'She's not very smart, I'll give her that,' Homan, a former police officer, told Newsmax.
'President Trump's going to prioritize public safety threats. What mayor or governor doesn't want public safety threats out of their communities?'
On Tuesday, Wu dismissed Homan's remarks, telling the Boston Herald: 'They can say whatever they want about me, but our public safety record speaks for itself: Boston is the safest major city in America.
'Our homicide rates are among the lowest of any city nationally, and gun violence has been at an all-time historic low over the last two years here in Boston.'
She said the city's lower crime rates are 'no coincidence' and a 'reflection of the trust between our residents and our public safety officials.'
Tom Homan, 62, said he hopes Wu, 39, doesn't 'cross the line' when it comes to his and Trump's plans to deport millions of migrants once taking office in January. 'She's not very smart, I’ll give her that,' Homan said
Wu vowed to continue to protect migrants inside her sanctuary city in 'every possible way'
'We will continue to focus on that work and have no intention of rolling out the welcome mat for them,' she said.
However, Homan reminded the liberal mayor that under Title 8 of the United States Code 1324 III that concealing illegal aliens from law enforcement is a federal crime.
'They can not cooperate, but there are certain laws in place that they can't cross and I hope she doesn’t cross it,' he told Newsmax.
'That's our number one responsibility: To protect their communities and that's exactly what we're going to do.'
Boston has been a sanctuary city since 2014. Under the Trust Act, it is not required to cooperate with some federal immigration laws.
The Trust Act allows some city departments, like police, to not cooperate with ICE for detainments on civil warrants. However, for criminal matters, the city would be required to help.
'What we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way,' Wu said on Sunday.
'[Make sure] 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.'
Boston has been a sanctuary city since 2014. Under the Trust Act, it is not required to cooperate with some federal immigration laws (pictured: Haitian migrants in Boston in May)
The Trust Act allows some city departments, like police, to not cooperate with ICE for detainments on civil warrants (pictured: migrants at Logan Airport in Boston)
Wu said she refuses to allow the migrants in her city to 'retreat into the shadows' when Trump begins his second term.
'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,' she said of migrants.
'And we will continue to protect our residents within those spaces.'
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has also pledged that the state police will not be used to help Trump's deportation efforts. The Massachusetts State Police said those efforts would go against their mission, according to the Herald.
Cambridge - home to Harvard University - Concord, Lawrence, and Newton are also sanctuary cities.
Despite the two liberal politicians showing resistance to Trump's deportation plans, Homan directed his attention to the Laken Riley case, which a 22-year-old illegal immigrant has been charged with her murder.
'I want you to listen to that tape of that young lady fighting for her life, fighting for her breath,' Homan said.
'She did not want to die, she fought hard. Listen to it. Don't just say "OK, another one died." I want you to listen to the struggles because that happens across the country almost every day by an illegal alien.'
Trump - who partially built a border wall during his first term - has indicated that he plans to declare a national emergency and use military force to deport illegal migrants from the US once he takes office. An estimated 11million could be affected
Twenty-nine illegal migrants have been arrested for homicide or manslaughter so far in the 2024 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, according to US Customs and Border Patrol.
Trump - who partially built a border wall during his first term - has indicated that he plans to declare a national emergency and use military force to deport illegal migrants from the US once he takes office.
Responding to a post on Truth Social from activist Tom Fitton, who said the 'incoming Trump administration [are] prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program,' Trump wrote: 'TRUE!!!'
Trump has long promised not only to curb illegal immigration, but to deport those who currently live in the US illegally.
He said just days after winning the 2024 election that his fight to deport an estimated 11million people would have no 'price tag.'
'Really, we have no choice,' he told NBC.
'When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they're going to go back to those countries because they're not staying here. There is no price tag.'
The American Immigration Council estimated that the cost of a mass deportation on the scale that Trump wants could cost $315billion.
The cost includes the impacts of lost labor.