CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said on Monday that Massachusetts officials have no legal ability to obstruct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
ICE is conducting a fresh federal immigration enforcement operation prioritizing the deportation of criminals in Massachusetts, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CNN reported on Sunday. Honing, on "CNN News Central," likened ICE's jurisdiction to that of the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and DEA.
"I know that the mayor of Boston has suggested there might be a lawsuit seeking to stop some of what ICE is doing, but there's really nothing that state and local authorities can do legally to prevent a federal law enforcement agent like ICE from doing its business," Honig said.
"ICE, like the FBI or ATF or DEA, has essentially nationwide jurisdiction, and there's no legal way that the mayor of Boston, for example, can stop ICE from coming into Boston and making immigration arrests any more than they could stop DEA from coming into Boston and making drug arrests," he continued. "So I understand there are political issues here and issues about public safety, but legally, there's really very little that the locals can do."
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox and the City of Boston over sanctuary laws that make it more challenging for federal immigration enforcement to target illegal migrant criminals within the city, according to court documents. The lawsuit followed the DOJ demanding Boston leaders start complying with federal immigration authorities, or else face the possibility of funding cuts or a civil lawsuit.
Bondi formally issued a letter to Wu on Aug. 13, notifying her that Boston had been labeled a sanctuary jurisdiction for policies that "thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States."
Wu held a defiant press event in response, during which she declared she would not comply. Her speech commenced with a performance by a local mariachi band.
"ICE launched 'Patriot 2.0' to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May," a DHS spokesperson told CNN on Sunday.
Wu told CNN on Sunday that neither Boston police nor local resources would be utilized in the operation and claimed it "does not make our community safer."
"We expect that federal law enforcement will abide by the constitution and laws of this City, Commonwealth, and country, and we are prepared to take legal action at any evidence to the contrary," she told CNN.