BOSTON — Mayor Michelle Wu’s latest stunt wasn’t just a letter — it was a dare. In two fiery pages addressed to Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Wu flat-out rejected federal demands to cooperate with immigration enforcement, wrapped herself in Revolutionary War imagery, and insisted Boston is “the safest major city in America.”

Bondi has warned sanctuary city leaders they could be prosecuted for obstructing federal law. Wu’s response? Double down. She claimed Boston’s sanctuary rules make the city safer, blasted Washington’s “false attacks,” and promised Boston would “never bow to tyranny.”

But the question is no longer academic: what happens if Bondi actually makes good on her threat? Would the sight of Boston’s mayor sitting in a federal courtroom — or even a federal prison cell — send shockwaves through city politics, or finally restore credibility to immigration enforcement?

Critics argue that arresting a sitting mayor would set a dangerous precedent. Could every policy clash between a White House and a city hall end with handcuffs? Yet the counterpoint is obvious: how many times can a mayor openly defy federal law without consequence?

Operation Patriot underscored the stakes. In a single month, ICE swept up 1,461 illegal immigrants statewide, including 377 in Boston alone. Among them were rapists, killers, and child predators who slipped through because of sanctuary policies. Wu’s “safe city” rhetoric rings hollow when residents are dodging shootings in Dorchester, stabbings in supermarkets, and dirt bike gangs tearing up tunnels.

Wu’s letter downplayed all of that, instead boasting about Boston’s “cooperation” on joint FBI drug busts and counterterrorism investigations. But her real message was clear: she’s prepared to risk it all on sanctuary politics, even if it means putting a federal target on her own back.

So is it time to arrest Mayor Wu? For some, the image of Wu trading City Hall for a federal cell is unthinkable. For others, it’s long overdue.

Let us know what you think in the comments.