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A meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors is typically a chance for political leaders to share ideas on issues like housing, climate change and AI. But attention at this year’s winter gathering in Washington D.C. that kicked off Wednesday kept turning to dealings with the federal government, immigration enforcement in cities and violent confrontations in Minneapolis.
“ Every conversation I’ve been a part of here, no matter what the initial agenda was about, has included questions from mayors saying, ‘What should I do to prepare my community for what might come? How will I know if they’re coming?’” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told WBUR Wednesday evening.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu talks with Carole Wedge during the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on…
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A meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors is typically a chance for political leaders to share ideas on issues like housing, climate change and AI. But attention at this year’s winter gathering in Washington D.C. that kicked off Wednesday kept turning to dealings with the federal government, immigration enforcement in cities and violent confrontations in Minneapolis.
“ Every conversation I’ve been a part of here, no matter what the initial agenda was about, has included questions from mayors saying, ‘What should I do to prepare my community for what might come? How will I know if they’re coming?’” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told WBUR Wednesday evening.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu talks with Carole Wedge during the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Wednesday. (Kevin Wolf/AP)
As the Trump administration comes under pressure to de-escalate the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, mayors of both parties sounded the alarms.
“I would tell you that in Minnesota, there is trouble in the Republic,” Mayor Jim Hovland, a Democrat from Edina, Minnesota, said as he was flanked by a bipartisan group of 50 mayors during a kickoff press conference, “and it’s illustrative of what could happen anywhere.”
He said 13 communities outside Minneapolis have formed a working coalition to support urban neighbors, develop strategies on how to interact with the federal government, and push for policies that protect immigrants specifically at schools, hospitals and churches.
Mayor Jerry Dyer, a Republican from Fresno, California, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being rejected by communities.
“Why? Because of the policing tactics that are being utilized that have been abandoned by local law enforcement 30 years ago,” he said.
He said he supports President Trump’s policies at the border. But the former police chief said ICE agents lack training for how to deploy in cities.
Fresno, California Mayor Jerry Dyer, Omaha, Nebraska Mayor John Ewing Jr. and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt during a panel discussion on Wednesday in Washington D.C. (Kevin Wolf/AP)
Conference leaders released a statement over the weekend after federal agents shot and killed a second American citizen, VA nurse Alex Pretti, during an enforcement surge. They called for officers to bring calm and professionalism to end the "unnecessary chaos” in Minneapolis.
“Immigration enforcement has existed in the United States for well over a century. ICE as the federal immigration law enforcement agency has operated for 23 years, under both Republican and Democratic administrations,” the statement read. “We restate this basic history as a reminder that immigration enforcement can exist and function in this country without national upheaval.”
Asked to comment on the mayors’ call to dial back ICE action, the White House pointed WBUR to remarks Monday by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said Trump doesn’t want to see people getting hurt or killed in the streets. She blamed Democrats for their “deliberate and hostile resistance.”
Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, a Republican from the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville, presented a different narrative while speaking with reporters at the conference.
“With the introduction of ICE, our cities are no longer safe,” Kautz said. “Crime is not reduced. And what happens is that the people of Minnesota are now being harassed, intimidated, and cruelly treated.”
Kautz said she fears a confrontation with ICE. A woman of Polynesian descent, she now carries her passport with her.
“ Those ICE agents don’t know that I’m the mayor of the city of Burnsville,” she said.
Beyond the discussions on immigration enforcement, Boston’s Wu was a featured speaker in a conversation about what the city has done to drive down violent crime, build more affordable housing, and use AI to improve city government.
She said she planned to leave the conference Thursday after attending more sessions, including the inaugural meeting of the Big Cities Alliance. Housing was a major focus of the conference at large.
More than 270 mayors attended, including the mayors of Somerville, Lynn, Beverly and New Bedford.
Wu said she would not be meeting with anyone from the Trump administration while in D.C., and instead would focus on learning from other mayors and bringing back “some ideas that I know we can get done and that will help make our families’ lives easier.”
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Eve Zuckoff Reporter
Eve Zuckoff is WBUR’s city reporter, covering Boston politics, breaking news and enterprise stories.
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