Summary

• Boston City Council weighing an "immigrant emergency response fund" to provide legal services and emergency assistance
• Would add taxpayer dollars to existing private efforts during ICE enforcement operations
• Councilor Ed Flynn pushes back: "We have to demonstrate fiscal responsibility"
• Comes as federal immigration charges in Massachusetts have surged 530% in one year

BOSTON — As federal immigration enforcement surges across Massachusetts, Boston city councilors are considering a new taxpayer-funded "emergency response fund" to help immigrants caught up in ICE operations.

The proposal would provide rapid legal services, family stabilization support, and emergency assistance — building on existing efforts by private organizations like the United Way and Boston Foundation.

"We see that happening right now, already, in philanthropy," said At-Large City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, one of the plan's backers. "We are trying to build more cohesion and more collaboration so that we can partner more seamlessly and be prepared for the current moment."

Several councilors added their names to the proposal at Wednesday's meeting. A hearing will be scheduled before it returns to the full council for a vote.

Not Everyone's On Board

But the idea is already drawing fire from fiscal hawks on the council.

"I think we have to demonstrate fiscal responsibility," said District 2 Councilor Ed Flynn.

The pushback comes as Boston homeowners face a 13% property tax increase this year — and as the city's White Stadium project has blown past its budget, with taxpayer costs tripling from $50 million to $135 million.

Critics outside City Hall were more pointed.

"They're more focused on helping the illegal migrants rather than citizens of their own states," said MassGOP Committeewoman Janet Fogarty.

A Familiar Face

Among the councilors supporting the fund is District 5's Enrique Pepén — the same official who was publicly slammed by the Department of Homeland Security last week for calling an ICE arrest of a convicted drug trafficker an "abduction."

"Everyone's trying to come up with solutions and trying to see how can they help," Pepén said of the proposed fund.

Enforcement Is Surging

The timing of the proposal is notable. Federal immigration enforcement in Massachusetts has exploded over the past year.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley revealed last week that her office charged 139 individuals with criminal immigration offenses in 2025 — up from just 22 the year before. That's a 530% increase.

Habeas petitions from ICE detainees have spiked even more dramatically, from 7 in 2024 to 850 in 2025.

And just this week, Governor Maura Healey demanded that New Hampshire block a planned 400-bed ICE detention center in Merrimack — calling federal tactics "horrific."

The proposed Boston fund would effectively create a city-backed support system for immigrants facing that enforcement.

What's Next

The proposal still needs a public hearing before the full council can vote. No timeline has been set.

Immigration advocates are pushing for quick action.

"This is necessary," said Gladys Vega of La Colaborativa, an organization serving immigrants in Chelsea and East Boston.

Whether Boston taxpayers agree remains to be seen.