Article By David Lindfield
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has blasted Boston’s far-left Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu as “unhinged” after her administration sought information identifying private businesses and property owners that could provide parking to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The confrontation erupted after Boston barred ICE from using city-owned parking lots to stage immigration enforcement operations.
ICE responded by looking to the private sector, issuing a notice seeking 249 contiguous parking spaces in Boston as part of a wider search for “surge parking” across 14 U.S. cities.
Wu then urged private garage and parking lot owners to reject ICE while revealing that Boston had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking “any local responses to ICE.”
DHS accused the mayor of attempting to intimidate private property owners because she lacks the authority to stop them from voluntarily doing business with federal law enforcement.
“These actions by sanctuary Mayor Michelle Wu are unhinged,” DHS said.
“She knows she has NO authority to block us from using private property.
“So, she’s hunting down private property owners and threatening them for working with ICE — because she’d rather intimidate law-abiding Bostonians than get criminal illegal aliens OFF the street.”
Wu Urges Businesses to ‘Reject’ ICE
Wu, a prominent opponent of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, sent an official appeal to parking garage and lot owners across Boston asking them not to cooperate with ICE.
“Were ICE to procure such resources, it would constitute an unprovoked and unwarranted escalation, creating potentially significant risks to public safety and halting economic activity across our entire region,” Wu wrote.
The mayor pointed to executive orders signed by Boston and six neighboring cities prohibiting ICE from using municipal property and parking facilities to stage enforcement operations.
But Wu went further, calling on private businesses to follow the cities’ lead.
“Today, I ask you to join us: Reject any proposition by ICE to facilitate an attack on the people of Boston,” she wrote.
Wu then revealed that Boston was attempting to determine who had responded to ICE’s request.
The city submitted a FOIA request seeking “all submissions and/or responses to ICE Sources Sought Notice with Notice ID ‘DHS-ICE-SurgeParking.’”
“We will keep you updated as we push for a response,” Wu told business owners.
“Thank you again for your partnership.”
DHS Accuses Wu of Intimidating Property Owners
DHS seized on the FOIA request as evidence that Wu knows she cannot legally prevent private property owners from leasing space to ICE.
The department described Wu as a “pro-criminal illegal alien politician” and accused her administration of trying to identify businesses willing to assist federal immigration officers.
“If private citizens want to allow federal law enforcement onto their own property, they should be allowed to do so — free of threats, intimidation and coercion from their radical left-wing mayor who shamelessly compared ICE agents to a neo-Nazi group,” DHS said.
The department argued that Wu’s own actions demonstrate the limits of her authority.
Boston can prevent ICE from staging operations on city-owned property, but private garage and parking lot owners remain free to enter agreements with the federal government.
Wu is now attempting to convince those owners not to do so.
Boston City Council Joins Fight Against ICE
Wu’s effort follows action by the Boston City Council earlier this month to oppose an increased ICE presence.
The council adopted an “emergency resolution” calling on the city to “explore all avenues to oppose” ICE’s proposed parking leases in downtown Boston.
Council members urged the city to investigate ways to prevent the leases and formally expressed opposition to additional immigration enforcement activity.
The fight comes as the Trump administration expands ICE operations across the country, including in sanctuary jurisdictions where Democrat officials have sought to restrict cooperation with federal authorities.
ICE’s parking search extends well beyond Boston.
The agency is also seeking significant parking capacity in metropolitan areas including Denver, Seattle, Philadelphia, Dallas, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh as it expands enforcement operations.
But the Boston dispute has moved beyond a conventional fight over sanctuary policies.
Wu has already used her authority to keep ICE off municipal property.
Now, with federal agents turning to private property instead, her administration is seeking records identifying businesses that may have responded.
DHS says that crosses a line.
The department’s position is straightforward: Boston officials can refuse to cooperate with ICE themselves, but they cannot stop private citizens from cooperating with federal law enforcement and business owners should not face pressure from City Hall for choosing to do so.
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