BOSTON (WHDH) – Newly appointed U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley addressed media members on Wednesday.
Foley, a longtime Federal Prosecutor, was picked by President Trump to lead the office and carry out his priorities.
Foley says that begins with finding, prosecuting, and removing illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
“If they are here illegally, and they are committing crimes, those are the priority cases and the people this office is going to target,” said Foley.
The directive is a difficult one. For a republican in a democratic state with sanctuary cities and leaders like Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu, who says she will not help federal enforcement of immigration laws.
“I disagree with Mayor Wu and Governor Healey that all resources should not be dedicated to making our communities safer,” said Foley.
When asked if she was prepared to prosecute Mayor Wu and Governor Healey, Foley said, “our priorities are not to just go try to find anyone who had a different opinion than us and target them for that.”
Foley has already begun the crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Last week, her office re-arrested a Dominican national who illegally re-entered the country.
He was deported following an arrest on federal drug and weapon charges.
“Our priorities are to go after the most dangerous criminals on the streets, who are selling fentanyl, and pumping meth and cocaine into communities,” said Foley.
Before being appointed, Foley supervised international and domestic narcotic sales.
Now, she’ll oversee everything from national security to white collar crime, as well as civil rights violations.
When asked if it’s the job of her office to step in and either prosecute students for antisemitism or hate crimes on college campuses, if colleges aren’t doing it, Foley responded, “I think the colleges and universities should absolutely be called to task. They have community standards that are contracts with their students, and they need to follow those community standards and take action when those community standards are violated.”
Foley will also pick up pending cases, such as the public corruption charges against Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson.
“It was brought because the evidence showed and the allegations are that an official violated public trust. There is no threshold when it comes to embezzlement or violating the public trust,” said Foley.
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