Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has clashed publicly with the US Department of Homeland Security after urging local business owners not to rent parking spaces to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The row began after a federal procurement notice showed ICE seeking 249 consecutive parking spaces in the city's central business district, prompting Wu to write to garage and lot owners warning that such a move would be an "unprovoked and unwarranted escalation" risking public safety and economic disruption. DHS branded her actions "unhinged," accusing her of overstepping her authority by pressuring private property owners, while ICE's Boston office said citizens should be free to lease space to federal agents without "threats, intimidation and coercion."

In her 18 August letter, Wu asked owners to "reject any proposition by ICE to facilitate an attack on the people of Boston," citing the city's February ban on ICE using municipal property for immigration enforcement. DHS countered by listing four illegal immigrants with criminal convictions who had been arrested by ICE in Massachusetts, arguing that "sanctuary" policies force agents into a more visible presence to catch offenders. The Greater Boston Real Estate Board estimated the leased spaces could cost ICE around $30 a day each, totalling roughly $13 million over a proposed five-year lease.