Leah Foley, a lawyer from Massachusetts, sharply criticized Boston Mayor Michelle Wu after Democrats condemned the recent actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, labeling her comments as “reckless and inflammatory.”
Wu faced backlash for describing ICE as “secret police” due to ongoing immigration enforcement measures.
“It’s alarming for the safety of individuals and their communities. How can anyone rationalize the removal of certain individuals from the streets by masked agents acting like secret police?” she stated in an interview.
Foley dismissed Wu’s remarks as “reckless and inflammatory.”
“It’s inappropriate to refer to federal agents as ‘secret police.’ There’s no such thing as a secret police,” Foley said in a video statement from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. “ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement, are conducting immigrant arrests. It’s not hidden; these individuals are unlawfully present, which violates federal law.”
Foley clarified that all enforcement actions are “consistent within the framework of the constitution and our laws and are supervised with legal justice and accountability.”
“To claim otherwise is a gross misrepresentation, misleading the public. Federal agents, identifiable by their marked uniforms, end up having to conceal their faces while stories like Mayor Wu’s circulate, distorting their purpose,” she elaborated.
“That’s why they have to hide their faces. It implies that federal law enforcement officials are wrong for taking people off the streets,” she added.
“In reality, all arrests and detentions are conducted under federal law,” she continued, mentioning that the U.S. attorney’s office supports federal law enforcement efforts. “Our aim is to safeguard Massachusetts residents, regardless of the misinformation that suggests they don’t comprehend federal law or dismiss the legitimacy of immigration law in this country.”
“I won’t apologize for fulfilling my responsibilities,” she concluded.
Interestingly, Wu has maintained her position regarding the “secret police” comments, stating that “U.S. lawyers are challenging me based on their observations.”
In the Boston area, there have been reports of ICE detaining around 1,500 undocumented immigrants during a recent extensive operation, targeting organized crime and gang-related activities among illegal aliens. Additional operations are expected as President Donald Trump’s former border official Tom Homan visits the sanctuary city, vowing to bring “chaos.”
