In recent years, cities like San Francisco and Chicago have garnered conservative criticism for their liberal policies, but Boston is now finding itself in the crosshairs of a national political feud.
Matthew Baum, a professor of global communications and public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, noted that Boston, with its New England liberal identity and elite university status, naturally becomes a target for the current administration’s ire.
“All of those things make it a natural source of antipathy for the current administration,” Baum remarked. “Whatever you think about their policies, they’re directed on all the stuff that makes Boston, Boston. I think that goes a long way to explaining: Why Boston?”
Tensions escalated sharply in late February when Tom Homan, the “border czar” appointed by former President Trump, declared he was “coming to Boston and I’m bringing hell with me.”
Homan lambasted Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox for enforcing a Massachusetts law prohibiting local police from detaining immigrants for potential deportation without a criminal warrant.
Mayor Michelle Wu quickly jumped to Cox’s defense, expressing her confidence and support for the commissioner via social media.
“We’re going to continue following & enforcing the laws to keep all Bostonians safe,” Wu stated.
A few days later, on March 5, Wu testified before Congress concerning Boston’s immigration policies, using the opportunity to criticize Homan directly.
“Shame on him for lying about my city,” Wu said. “For having the nerve to insult our police commissioner, who has overseen the safest Boston’s been in anyone’s lifetime. Bring him here under oath, and let’s ask him some questions.”
This political spat continued on March 18 when Homan followed through on his threat, visiting Boston but keeping his trip under wraps until after his departure.
According to federal officials, a six-day operation across Massachusetts led to the arrest of 370 individuals by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE officials reported that 205 among those arrested had “significant criminal convictions or charges,” but they did not disclose information on the remaining 165 arrested.
Homan proclaimed the operation necessary due to Massachusetts and Boston being sanctuaries that refuse to cooperate with ICE’s enforcement efforts.
In response, Governor Maura Healey firmly stated that Massachusetts is “not a sanctuary state” and emphasized that state law enforcement partners with federal agencies to ensure public safety.
“Public safety is a major priority for me, and it should never be a partisan issue,” she added.
Political operatives from both sides of the aisle agree that the animosity between progressive Boston and the Republican-controlled federal government reflects a broader partisan divide in the country.
Doug Rubin, a Democratic strategist with campaign experience for high-profile figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, stated, “Trump is a master storyteller, and he understands intuitively that the best narratives have a good versus evil kind of setting.”
Rubin suggested that by spotlighting Boston, Trump and his supporters aim to draw a wedge between working-class families and perceived liberal elites.
“That’s a narrative that has worked for him successfully in both of his campaigns,” observed Rubin.
Wendy Wakeman, a Massachusetts-based GOP strategist, contended that local politicians invited Trump’s scrutiny rather than vice versa.
“I don’t think you can find a more radical mayor in the country than Michelle Wu,” Wakeman remarked.
She suggested that the Trump administration’s deportation strategies are practical responses to where the criminal activity is occurring, not politically motivated.
“Why do bank robbers rob banks? It’s because that’s where the money is,” Wakeman explained. “Why is Tom Homan coming to Massachusetts to arrest criminals from other nations living in the United States? It’s because they’re here.”
Homan justified targeting Boston after reviewing news reports about undocumented individuals allegedly committing crimes in the city.
Conservative media, according to Republican strategist Alex Conant, has promoted a narrative that American cities, including Boston, are overwhelmed by illegal immigrants engaged in criminal behavior.
“Trump has always been preoccupied by the state of American cities,” Conant stated. “I think Boston is a great American city that he sees as in decline, not unlike Chicago, San Francisco, New York, or D.C. And part of that is he has an image of cities filled with illegal immigrants committing crimes and he has made removing immigrants an administration priority.”
In a bid to equip local officials with resilience against federal pressure, Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, advised against backing down in the face of adversity.
“Shrinking is the worst thing you can do because then he’ll know that he owns you, and he’ll just keep coming back to get more,” Swalwell remarked. “That’s the only language a bully understands, is strength.”
Baum, the Harvard professor, noted that immigration policy is not the sole factor creating tension between Boston and the federal government.
“It seems like the core economic engines of this region are under aggressive assault right now,” he said, referring to the administration’s initiatives to cut biomedical research funding and address perceived progressive overreach at elite universities.
The former issue, Baum argued, stems from a post-COVID decline in public trust in science and medicine, especially among Republican constituents.
Meanwhile, elite universities are targeted due to their involvement in contentious cultural issues.
For the Trump administration, Baum posited that intensifying focus on Boston serves as a warning to other cities as well.
Despite heightened tensions, most interviewed agreed that the discord is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.
Wakeman predicted continued scrutiny for Massachusetts due to local elected officials’ clear stance against Trump.
“Plus, any blowback will have little practical effect on Trump executing his agenda,” she noted.
Conant echoed this sentiment, asserting that “this is a fight with few political consequences” for the president, given that there is not a substantial number of Trump voters in Boston.
Tal Kopan of Globe staff contributed reporting to this story.
image source from：https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/11/nation/trump-administration-targets-boston/
