Wu was all that on Ash Wednesday, as she strode into the lion’s den of the US Capitol, clad in a cobalt blue dress, with ashes on her forehead and seven-week-old daughter Mira Wu Pewarski in a pink onesie on her shoulder.
Our mayor was there by order of a Republican-led US House Oversight Committee to offer testimony about Boston’s immigration practices, and whether its so-called sanctuary city status made us unsafe.
It was pure political theater. Boston, one should note, not only is considered one of the safest big cities in America, but it has only gotten safer on Wu’s watch. Homicides have fallen by more than half since 2020, to just 24 last year, and the number of shootings have also been cut in half, according to a Globe analysis of crime data.
The Republican committee members were defiant, looking at times desperate to produce the sort of viral moment that another Congressional committee engineered in 2023 and led to the ouster of two university presidents, including Harvard’s Claudine Gay.
That was not going to happen to this well-prepared Harvard alum. Say what you will about the city bringing in a high-priced law firm — which charged $950 per hour and whose tab could hit $650,000 — to help Wu get ready for a hostile, hourslong grilling. But c’mon, wasn’t it worth it just to hear Wu respond to a question about Tom Homan, Trump’s deportation czar who said he would bring “hell” to Boston.
“Shame on him, for lying about my city,” Wu said. “Bring him here under oath, and let’s ask him some questions. I am here to make sure that the city of Boston is safe. Others may want to bring hell. We are here to bring peace to cities everywhere.”
Yep, that was worth every penny.
Wu stayed on message about an ordinance known as the Boston Trust Act, first enacted in 2014 and updated in 2019, about the relationship between Boston police and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Wu repeatedly said the city does not ask individuals about immigration status, and Boston police will only assist ICE in cases involving criminal warrants for violent offenses, human trafficking, and other serious crimes.
Wu explained how the policy has in fact made Boston more safe by building trust between the police and community. But that trust, she said, is being eroded by the anti-immigrant policies of the Trump administration, which have some residents afraid that if they call 911 to report a crime they’ll be deported.
“A city thatʼs scared,” she said, “is not a city thatʼs safe.”
Wu also reminded the committee that she is a daughter of immigrants, and that Boston has long been a city powered by immigrants from its earliest English settlers to the current waves of families from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cape Verde, Vietnam, and beyond. More than a quarter of the city’s residents were born outside the US.
“We are the safest major city in America because we are safe for everyone — that will never change,” she added. “We are all these things not in spite of our immigrants, but because of them.”
Wu deftly avoided the traps set by the Republicans on the committee. When Arizona Representative Paul Gosar tried to push her buttons by saying comprehensive immigration policy wouldn’t help because Boston was already “defying” existing policy, Wu pushed back.
“If you want to make us safe, pass gun reform, stop cutting Medicaid, stop cutting cancer research, stop cutting funds for veterans,” she said with just the right amount of exasperation. “That is what would make our city safe.”
Wu has yet to officially launch her reelection campaign, but she couldn’t ask for a bigger stage to show why she deserves four more years. Wu did more than merely survive an antagonistic, 6.5-hour Congressional hearing. She sent a strong message to President Trump and the Republicans: Don’t mess with Boston.
I doubt if Wu’s challenger and nonprofit leader, Josh Kraft, could have pulled this off. The son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft showed up at a rally on City Hall Plaza on Wednesday that was organized to show the city’s support for Wu and immigrants. Kraft said he also supports the Trust Act and immigrants, and I’m glad he didn’t do much grandstanding because this day was all about Wu.
The Wu campaign knew that and sought to capitalize on the moment, sending multiple fund-raising emails during the hearing asking for donations. One fund-raising text read: “It’s important that we show Michelle and her opponents that we appreciate her and ‘have her back.’”
That one instantly got close to a dozen commitments, followed most often by this reaction: BADASS.
Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].
