At a press conference Wednesday, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh blasted Donald Trump’s threat to strip sanctuary cities of federal funding, warning the president his constituents “will not back down from our values that make us who we are as a city.” The mayor even offered his office in City Hall as shelter for immigrants who feel unsafe under a Trump administration.
“I am deeply disturbed by today’s news,” Walsh said in a press release. “We will fight for our residents, whether immigrant or not, and provide the best quality of life for all Bostonians.”
Expanding on his statement during Wednesday’s press conference, Walsh reminded the president, “We are a city and a nation built on immigrant contributions," noting nearly half of Boston’s residents have at least one foreign-born parent.
“We will not be intimidated by a threat to federal funding ... We will not retreat one inch," he added. “To anyone who feels threatened or vulnerable, you are safe in Boston."
"If people want to live here, they'll live here," Walsh said. "This means people could live here at City Hall, people could use my office."
President Trump’s aggressive action on sanctuary cities is, as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer noted, “one of his most significant campaign promises.” Throughout the 2016 campaign, the president vowed to target cities that provide refuge for undocumented immigrants.
At least 18 cities, including Boston, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles have vowed to fight President Trump’s threat.
