(Headline USA) The Boston City Council unanimously voted this week to uphold the city’s sanctuary status and defy attempted deportations by President-elect Donald Trump.
The measure, titled the “Trust Act,” was first passed in 2014 and amended during Trump’s first term in 2019 to protect illegal migrants from “unjust enforcement actions.”
The policy prevents local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities and bans police from keeping illegals in custody for deportation unless there is a criminal warrant.
This week, the Boston City Council amended the resolution again to state that “proposals for mass deportations represent a direct attack on Boston’s immigrant families, and threaten to tear communities apart.”
The resolution specifically cites the incoming Trump administration, stating, “The City of Boston shall continue to monitor and respond to federal immigration policies that may impact its residents, reaffirming its commitment to protect immigrant communities from unjust enforcement actions and to uphold the Trust Act, recognizing that protecting the rights and dignity of all residents, regardless of immigration status, is essential for a safe and welcoming city for all.”
Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, a Democrat, argued the updated resolution is necessary “as the national climate grows increasingly hostile towards immigrant communities.”
She added, “As a city built on the strength of its diverse communities, Boston remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the rights [and] dignity of all its residents, regardless of status.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, also a Democrat, has likewise vowed to resist any effort by the incoming Trump administration to deport the city’s illegal migrants.
“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 impact,” she said last month.
The city’s opposition to Trump’s agenda comes as ICE officials in the Boston area have made several arrests of illegal migrants charged with violent crimes, including child sex offenses.
