Homeland Security criticizes Boston Mayor's Comments Comparing ICE Agents to Neo-Nazis as 'Sickening'

The Department of Homeland Security issued a sharp rebuke Thursday after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu made comments appearing to compare ICE agents to neo-Nazi groups, calling her remarks "sickening" and a disservice to law enforcement. The controversy erupted following the posting of a video online in which Mayor Wu questioned the use of masks by certain law enforcement agencies and drew a parallel to the attire worn by NSC-131, a known neo-Nazi organization based in New England.

“I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks," Wu stated in the footage, before referencing NSC-131 as an example of a group that does. In response, DHS declared, "When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by known and suspected gang members, murderers, and rapists." The agency emphasized that such comparisons undermine the critical and often dangerous work performed by federal law enforcement officials.

Homeland Security further highlighted the surge in violence faced by ICE agents, reporting a 413% increase in assaults. The statement from DHS was unequivocal: "Attacks and demonization of our brave law enforcement is WRONG." The department reiterated that officers only conceal their identities to safeguard themselves and their families from threats—a reality exacerbated, they said, by spreading misconceptions about their operations.

In related commentary, the Anti-Defamation League described NSC-131 as white supremacists who "consider themselves soldiers at war with a hostile, Jewish-controlled system that is deliberately plotting the extinction of the White race." The ADL’s characterization underscored the gravity of equating federal law enforcement agents with extremist hate groups.

Mayor Wu has stood by her criticism, telling a local radio station that Boston residents are living in fear, concerned about people being abducted by masked agents whom she referred to as "secret police." According to Wu, "People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors" and "folks [are] getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained."

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons responded directly, urging Wu to consider the human impact of her comments. In his message, Lyons asserted, "These are real people with real families you're hurting with your ridiculous rhetoric and inflammatory comments, and it’s time to remember that."

Leah Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, also addressed the controversy in a video message, explaining the rationale behind agents concealing their faces. "Federal agents and their children are being threatened, doxxed and assaulted. That is why they must hide their faces," Foley stated, blaming tensions and threats on what she called the result of “false narratives” spread by political leaders.

The episode adds fuel to the ongoing national debate over law enforcement practices, immigration policy, and political rhetoric, particularly in major cities where local leaders and federal agencies have frequently clashed.