The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it is reviewing the status of former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, a Cape Verde-born immigrant who pleaded guilty in a corruption case.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News: “We are looking into this, yes.”
Anderson, elected in 2021, admitted to a kickback scheme in which she gave a staff member $13,000 with the condition that $7,000 be returned to her. The Boston Herald reported the transaction took place in a City Hall bathroom.
The case was highlighted last week by Libs of TikTok, a social media account run by activist Chaya Raichik, who said a source told her DHS was investigating Anderson.
After her election, Anderson discussed her background in an interview with WGBH, saying she was Muslim, African, and had previously been undocumented. “As the person that I am – Muslim, Cape Verdean, someone who’s been undocumented, an African immigrant and now African American – I think that all of that is what makes me a very dynamic Black woman,” she said.
DHS also announced the release of 11 men into Boston after a failure to coordinate with ICE officers.
President Trump previewed the move on social media, sharing an AI-generated photo of himself and writing that he loved “the smell of deportations in the morning.” He also said Chicago was “about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” following his order to return the Defense Department to its original name.
The announcement came just hours after the Supreme Court allowed ICE agents in Los Angeles to make immigration stops based on language or profession.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, criticized the Trump administration, saying: “At a time when this federal administration is already causing so much fear and harm in our communities, these threats are serious and consequential.”
She added: “Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures. Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law… You are wrong on the law, and you are wrong on safety.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously issued letters to sanctuary jurisdictions warning that their policies on cooperation with immigration enforcement run counter to federal law.
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We need a serious review of America’s judiciary system. Almost on a daily frequency new incidences of corruption, political favoritism and qualifications for positions arise nation wide.