Wu and DHS are now in an open street fight over ICE parking — and it's testing the limits of what a mayor can actually do.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu escalated her standoff with federal immigration authorities this week, sending letters to private parking garage and lot owners across the city urging them to reject any deal with ICE, which has been quietly shopping for roughly 250 parking spots as part of a broader "surge parking" push in 14 cities nationwide. Wu's office also filed public records requests to identify exactly which property owners ICE has been courting — a move DHS's official X account blasted as "unhinged," accusing Wu of "hunting down private property owners" rather than getting "criminal illegal aliens" off the street.

Here's why this matters beyond the social media sniping: this is a fight over leverage, not law. Wu doesn't have clear authority to block a private business from renting a parking lot to a federal agency — she said as much herself, framing her letter as a moral appeal, not a legal order ("I ask you to join us"). But by publicly identifying who says yes to ICE, she's using reputational pressure as a substitute for regulatory power, betting that most Boston landlords don't want to be known as the guy who rented ICE its staging ground. DHS is betting the opposite — that painting Wu as an obstructionist plays well nationally, even if it does nothing in Boston.

Expect this to keep escalating through the fall, especially with Boston newly certified as a 4-star "Welcoming City" for immigrants — a label Wu will lean on hard as contrast with Washington. The real test is whether any property owner blinks first, and whether the "surge parking" plan is really about parking, or about something bigger.

Full story at Boston Globe →

Lawrence tries to project normalcy after its mayor's federal fraud arrest. City Attorney Timothy Houten told councilors Tuesday there's no evidence of misused city funds, even as residents packed City Hall demanding Mayor Brian DePeña resign over charges he fraudulently obtained $1.6 million in pandemic loans. DePeña, a former councilor himself, skipped the meeting entirely. Boston Globe →

Markey vs. Moulton is turning into a health care semantics battle with real stakes. Ahead of the September 1 primary, Ed Markey is running on "Medicare for All" (kill private insurance, go single-payer) while Seth Moulton is pitching "universal health care" (cover everyone, keep private options). It's a genuine policy split dressed up as a progressive purity contest, and it's happening as premiums spike and federal subsidies shrink for real people. Boston Globe →

Child e-bike injuries are spiking hard across Massachusetts. A 5-year-old in Hingham was hit so hard by a teen's e-bike that his helmet cracked and his arm shattered — one of a wave of severe crashes doctors say are landing kids in the ER with traumatic brain injuries. Police and town officials are now pushing for tighter e-bike rules statewide. WBUR →

A Massachusetts poll finds Black and Latino students face far more bullying and safety concerns at school. The new EdTrust/MassINC survey of over 1,000 parents found Black families are least likely to say their kids feel "very safe" at school, and Latino students have disproportionately high chronic absenteeism — now above 18% statewide, way up from pre-pandemic levels. GBH News →

A Stow police officer allegedly used surveillance cameras to stalk an ex-partner — and the town just ripped out its whole camera system. Officer Jason Rogers reportedly ran over 500 unauthorized searches on a woman he had a relationship with, using both Flock Safety cameras and state criminal databases. Stow has already pulled its last Flock camera; Rogers faces termination and criminal charges. Boston Globe →

Harvard will pay $53 million to settle the stolen body parts scandal. Families of anatomical donors whose remains were allegedly stolen and sold by former morgue manager Cedric Lodge will get compensation, plus a public apology webinar and a new scholarship fund in the donors' honor. A judge granted preliminary approval Tuesday. WBUR →

• New Hampshire's Veto Day is today (Wednesday). Lawmakers need two-thirds majorities to override 32 of Governor Kelly Ayotte's vetoes — bathroom bills and library censorship measures look dead, but a transportation plan blocking a toll hike has real bipartisan legs. Boston Globe →

• Stow's Selectboard decides Officer Jason Rogers's employment fate on August 26 — worth watching given the scale of the alleged database misuse. Boston Globe →

• Mark Sullivan, the Frog Pond sex offender case, returns to court September 15 for a probable cause hearing. Universal Hub →

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