Wu cheers ruling as San Francisco judge sides with sanctuary cities

Monday, August 25, 2025
4 min read
MDN Staff
Wu cheers ruling as San Francisco judge sides with sanctuary cities

Wu insists Boston will keep its sanctuary policies and “follow the law”

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BOSTON — A judge sitting 3,000 miles away just told Boston how to run its immigration policies — and Mayor Michelle Wu couldn’t be happier.

Even as ICE rounds up criminal aliens in Massachusetts, San Francisco Judge William Orrick blocked Trump’s crackdown — with Wu cheering his approach.
Even as ICE rounds up criminal aliens in Massachusetts, San Francisco Judge William Orrick blocked Trump’s crackdown — with Wu cheering his approach.

The ruling, handed down in San Francisco late Friday, blocks Donald Trump’s push to cut off federal dollars to “sanctuary” jurisdictions like Boston. The decision extends a previous injunction shielding West Coast strongholds such as Portland and Seattle — and now ropes in Boston, Chicago, Denver, and dozens of other cities.

Wu, speaking at an unrelated event Sunday, was quick to celebrate. “This is one more example of the courts stepping in to say the Trump administration is wrong on the law,” she said. The Boston Herald reported her comments came as the city’s sanctuary policies face fresh scrutiny from Washington.

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Wu insisted Boston will “continue to follow the law” and touted her city as “the safest major city in the country.”

But the stakes are no small thing. Trump had ordered his attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to block payments to cities that “abet” sanctuary policies — a move local governments said could put billions on the line. Attorney General Pam Bondi even warned Wu earlier this month that Boston risked losing funding unless it rolled back its Trust Act and complied with federal immigration enforcement.

Wu calls Boston the “safest major city” in America — while hanging her hat on a ruling from 3,000 miles away.
Wu calls Boston the “safest major city” in America — while hanging her hat on a ruling from 3,000 miles away.

Instead of backing down, Wu doubled down. She dismissed the administration’s threats as “unprecedented and unlawful” and rallied with supporters to declare Boston would not comply.

Judge William Orrick — an Obama appointee — sided with the cities, calling Trump’s orders a “coercive threat” and extending his block nationwide.

For Wu, it’s a moment to spike the football. For everyone else, it means a judge in California just weighed in on how Boston should handle public safety.

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