Boston Trust Act
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{{Short description|Boston city ordinance}} |
{{Short description|Boston city ordinance}} |
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{{Immigration policy of the second Trump administration sidebar | expanded=litigation}} |
{{Immigration policy of the second Trump administration sidebar | expanded=litigation}} |
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The '''Boston Trust Act''' is a city ordinance in Boston, adopted in 2014 and amended in 2019, which orders [[Boston Police Department]] not to detain [[immigrants]] for potential [[deportation]] unless a criminal [[arrest warrant]] had been issued for them. It has often been described as a "[[sanctuary city]]" ordinance. |
The '''Boston Trust Act''' is a city ordinance in Boston, adopted in 2014 and amended in 2019, which orders [[Boston Police Department]] not to detain [[immigrants]] for potential [[deportation]] unless a criminal [[arrest warrant]] had been issued for them. It has often been described as a "[[sanctuary city]]" ordinance. The ordinance prohibits the police from collaborating with the Removal Operations department of [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] (ICE) on civil immigration enforcement and removal; but still permits the police to fully collaborate with the Homeland Security Investigations department of ICE on criminal and public safety matters. |
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The [[Second Trump Administration]] (which began in 2025) has taken direct issue with the Boston Trust Act. On September 4, 2025, a lawsuit claiming it was a violation of public law was filed [[United States Department of Justice]] under the direction of U.S. Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] in the [[United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts]]. The suit is suing the [[City of Boston]], Boston Mayor [[Michelle Wu]], the [[Boston Police Department]], and Boston Police Commissioner [[Michael Cox (police officer)|Michael Cox]] over the city and police department's continued adherence to the ordinace. |
The [[Second Trump Administration]] (which began in 2025) has taken direct issue with the Boston Trust Act. On September 4, 2025, a lawsuit claiming it was a violation of public law was filed [[United States Department of Justice]] under the direction of U.S. Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] in the [[United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts]]. The suit is suing the [[City of Boston]], Boston Mayor [[Michelle Wu]], the [[Boston Police Department]], and Boston Police Commissioner [[Michael Cox (police officer)|Michael Cox]] over the city and police department's continued adherence to the ordinace. |
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The Boston Trust Act is a municipal ordinance which orders [[Boston Police Department]] not to detain [[immigrants]] for potential [[deportation]] unless a criminal [[arrest warrant]] had been issued for them. This marked a shift away from the [[Secure Communities]] program the city up until then been a party to since 2006, in which it had actively collaborate with federal immigration officials in detecting criminals illegally in the United States and deport them, and routinely share the department's arrest fingerprints database with immigration officials. Proponents of the Boston Trust Act argued that it would improve relations between immigrant communities and the local police, making immigrant communities more likely to report local crimes to police and to cooperate with police efforts.{{cite web |last1=Ortega |first1=Oliver |title=City Council OKs Measure Limiting Immigration Holds |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/08/20/boston-city-council-approves-ordinance-limiting-immigration-holds/8e1MVYhU1aP1RiFr7AkkiK/story.html |website=The Boston Globe |access-date=5 September 2025 |date=August 20, 2014}} |
The Boston Trust Act is a municipal ordinance which orders [[Boston Police Department]] not to detain [[immigrants]] for potential [[deportation]] unless a criminal [[arrest warrant]] had been issued for them. This marked a shift away from the [[Secure Communities]] program the city up until then been a party to since 2006, in which it had actively collaborate with federal immigration officials in detecting criminals illegally in the United States and deport them, and routinely share the department's arrest fingerprints database with immigration officials. Proponents of the Boston Trust Act argued that it would improve relations between immigrant communities and the local police, making immigrant communities more likely to report local crimes to police and to cooperate with police efforts.{{cite web |last1=Ortega |first1=Oliver |title=City Council OKs Measure Limiting Immigration Holds |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/08/20/boston-city-council-approves-ordinance-limiting-immigration-holds/8e1MVYhU1aP1RiFr7AkkiK/story.html |website=The Boston Globe |access-date=5 September 2025 |date=August 20, 2014}} |
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The ordinance prohibits the city's police from working with the Enforcement and Removal Operations department of [[ |
The ordinance prohibits the city's police from working with the Enforcement and Removal Operations department of [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] (ICE) on civil immigration enforcement efforts; but still permits the police to fully collaborate with the Homeland Security Investigations department of ICE on enforcement efforts related to criminal and public safety issues such as [[human trafficking]], [[drug trafficking]], and [[weapons trafficking]].{{cite web |last1=Lavery |first1=Tréa |title=Boston’s Trust Act: What it is and how it works |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2025/03/bostons-trust-act-what-it-is-and-how-it-works.html |website=MassLive |access-date=April 20, 2026 |date=March 5, 2025}} |
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The act was sponsored by City Councilor [[Josh Zakim]]. It was passed unanimously by the Boston City Council and signed into law by Mayor [[Marty Walsh]] in 2014.{{cite web |title=What’s the Boston Trust Act? |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/04/10/what-trust-act/75zwW6kTGjaikI1v36ZDYI/story.html |website=The Boston Globe |access-date=September 5, 2025 |date=April 11, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Lyer |first1=Kaanita |title=Trump Administration Sues Boston Over 'Sanctuary' Policy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/04/politics/doj-lawsuit-boston-mayor-michelle-wu |website=CNN |language=en |date=September 4, 2025}} Among the councilors in the unanimous vote to adopt the ordinance was [[Michelle Wu]],{{cite book |title=Boston City Council Roll Call Vote Docket #1175 |publisher=City of Boston |language=en |date=August 20, 2014}} who was later elected mayor [[2021 Boston mayoral election|in 2021]].{{cite web |last1=Romo |first1=Vanessa |title=Michelle Wu Is Boston's First Woman And First Person Of Color Elected Mayor |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/11/02/1051720391/boston-mayor-michelle-wu-elected |website=NPR |access-date=5 September 2025 |language=en |date=November 2, 2021}} |
The act was sponsored by City Councilor [[Josh Zakim]]. It was passed unanimously by the Boston City Council and signed into law by Mayor [[Marty Walsh]] in 2014.{{cite web |title=What’s the Boston Trust Act? |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/04/10/what-trust-act/75zwW6kTGjaikI1v36ZDYI/story.html |website=The Boston Globe |access-date=September 5, 2025 |date=April 11, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Lyer |first1=Kaanita |title=Trump Administration Sues Boston Over 'Sanctuary' Policy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/04/politics/doj-lawsuit-boston-mayor-michelle-wu |website=CNN |language=en |date=September 4, 2025}} Among the councilors in the unanimous vote to adopt the ordinance was [[Michelle Wu]],{{cite book |title=Boston City Council Roll Call Vote Docket #1175 |publisher=City of Boston |language=en |date=August 20, 2014}} who was later elected mayor [[2021 Boston mayoral election|in 2021]].{{cite web |last1=Romo |first1=Vanessa |title=Michelle Wu Is Boston's First Woman And First Person Of Color Elected Mayor |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/11/02/1051720391/boston-mayor-michelle-wu-elected |website=NPR |access-date=5 September 2025 |language=en |date=November 2, 2021}} |
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Public dispute between the Trump presidential administration and the Boston mayoral administration of [[Michelle Wu]] in regards to the Boston Trust Act. Wu emerged as a perceived political adversary of the Trump administration and aligned [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] officials. The [[Second Trump administration]] have made so-called "[[sanctuary city]]" policies, such as the Boston Trust Act, a major target of its illegal immigration crackdown. |
Public dispute between the Trump presidential administration and the Boston mayoral administration of [[Michelle Wu]] in regards to the Boston Trust Act. Wu emerged as a perceived political adversary of the Trump administration and aligned [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] officials. The [[Second Trump administration]] have made so-called "[[sanctuary city]]" policies, such as the Boston Trust Act, a major target of its illegal immigration crackdown. |
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During [[second presidential transition of Donald Trump|the presidential transition]] that followed the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], Mayor Wu publicly noted that the city's existing 2014 law limited the circumstances in which its police officers could cooperate with |
During [[second presidential transition of Donald Trump|the presidential transition]] that followed the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], Mayor Wu publicly noted that the city's existing 2014 law limited the circumstances in which its police officers could cooperate with ICE agents. In response to this, Trump's designated border czar [[Tom Homan]] publicly criticized Wu as "not very smart." Wu responded to this, {{quote|People can say whatever they want about me. This isn’t about me. Our public safety record speaks for itself. We are the safest major city in America, here in Boston. And it’s because of the work that’s put in every day to build trust between our residents and law enforcement, and it’s because of our focus on making sure we are there when residents need us.{{cite web |last1=Dwyer |first1=Dialynn |title=Wu Hits Back At Trump Border Czar Over Deportation Rhetoric |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/11/20/this-isnt-about-me-wu-hits-back-at-trump-border-czar-tom-homan-over-deportation-rhetoric |website=Boston.com |access-date=4 July 2025 |date=November 20, 2024}}}} |
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Weeks into the [[second Trump administration]], at the February 2025 [[Conservative Political Action Conference]], Homan responded to an earlier news interview by Boston Police Commissioner Cox regarding the city's policies by threatening that the federal government would be "bringing hell" to the city of Boston. Afterwards, Wu posted on social media to express her confidence in Commissioner Cox.{{cite web |last1=Healy |first1=Beth |title=Trump's border czar threatens he's 'bringing hell' to Boston |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/02/22/trump-border-czar-homan-boston-police-hell |website=WBUR |access-date=4 July 2025 |language=en |date=22 February 2025}} |
Weeks into the [[second Trump administration]], at the February 2025 [[Conservative Political Action Conference]], Homan responded to an earlier news interview by Boston Police Commissioner Cox regarding the city's policies by threatening that the federal government would be "bringing hell" to the city of Boston. Afterwards, Wu posted on social media to express her confidence in Commissioner Cox.{{cite web |last1=Healy |first1=Beth |title=Trump's border czar threatens he's 'bringing hell' to Boston |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/02/22/trump-border-czar-homan-boston-police-hell |website=WBUR |access-date=4 July 2025 |language=en |date=22 February 2025}} |
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