BOSTON — Boston police had no problem releasing a lurid play-by-play of a late-night celebration involving the New England Patriots.

Hookahs. Dancers. Dollar bills scattered across the floor. A DJ blasting music in the basement of a downtown restaurant.

The police report read like a nightclub review.

But when it comes to criminals federal immigration authorities want to detain, Boston suddenly becomes very quiet.

That contrast says everything.

After the Patriots’ AFC Championship celebration spilled into the early morning hours, police quickly released a detailed report describing the scene. Within hours, the document was circulating across the region.

Meanwhile, a far more serious question has been hanging over City Hall.

How many times did federal immigration authorities ask Boston police to hold suspects for deportation?

City officials have said the number was 57 detainer requests last year and that none were honored under Boston’s sanctuary policies.

But federal immigration authorities say the real number was much higher.

ICE officials now say Boston police ignored 167 detainer requests involving criminal suspects, not 57.

That discrepancy has fueled a growing political fight over transparency and accountability in the city.

And when Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn asked the Wu administration to release more information about those detainers, including whether the individuals involved had criminal charges, the response from the City Council was swift.

The council voted 9–4 to block the request.

In other words, Boston’s elected leaders refused to even ask the question.

Mayor Michelle Wu and progressive leaders at City Hall strongly support the city’s sanctuary policies, which stem from the Boston Trust Act and limit when local police can cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Supporters say the policy protects immigrant communities and keeps local police focused on local crime.

Critics say it shields criminals from federal custody.

Either way, the optics are impossible to ignore.

Boston police can produce a vivid report about a Patriots after-party.

But when it comes to the number of criminal suspects ICE says the city refused to turn over, the answers suddenly become much harder to find.

Hookahs and dancers get the full report.

Immigration detainers get a political brick wall.

And Boston residents are left asking a simple question.

Why is the city more transparent about a football party than about criminals federal authorities say they wanted to take into custody?