‘Come and Get Me,’ Somerville Mayor Tells Sheriff Calling For Arrest of Sanctuary City Leaders

SOMERVILLE, MA – Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone had a simple message for Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson after the controversial lawman called for the arrest of elected leaders of sanctuary cities: "Come and get me."

"I'll say the same thing about Sheriff Hodgson's ridiculous statements as I did about Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal when he said the same thing - come and get me," he challenged Hodgson in a statement on Facebook.

On Tuesday, Hodgson said arrest warrants should be issued for officials in sanctuary cities during testimony in front of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

"If these sanctuary cities are going to harbor and conceal criminal illegal aliens from ICE, which is in direct violation of title 8 of the US Code, federal arrest warrants should be issued for their elected officials," Hodgson said.

Curtatone has long been an outspoken proponent of sanctuary cities and fervently defended Somerville's sanctuary status in the wake of President Trump's executive order pulling federal funding from municipalities that harbor undocumented immigrants. He slammed Hodgson on Tuesday for "parroting falsehoods" from the Trump administration and suggested the controversial sheriff should look inward at the crime rate in his own county.

SEE ALSO: Bristol County Sheriff: Sanctuary City Leaders Should be Arrested

"Maybe Sheriff Hodgson should come to Somerville to learn about real crime prevention," Curtatone said in an emailed statement. "Crime is way down in my sanctuary city and it's below both state and national averages. He could apply his newfound knowledge to his own county, which as of 2015 had the second highest violent crime rate in the Commonwealth."

Hodgson's comments come on the heels of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' ominous warning to sanctuary cities – reverse your policies or lose funding. The country's top prosecutor on Monday dangled $4.1 billion in available federal grants in front of municipalities nationwide, but only to those that play ball.

In Massachusetts, Somerville and Cambridge are self-described sanctuary cities, while communities like Newton, Boston, Northampton, Orleans, Amherst and Chelsea teeter on the edge with related legislation.

Somerville has been a sanctuary city for 30 years, and Curtatone has made it clear it will remain one in spite of federal pressure.

Read Curtatone's full response to Hodgson below:

"Rather than worrying about locking up mayors and parroting the same falsehoods about sanctuary cities that are coming out of the White House, maybe Sheriff Hodgson should come to Somerville to learn about real crime prevention. Crime is way down in my sanctuary city and it’s below both state and national averages. He could apply his newfound knowledge to his own county, which as of 2015 had the second highest violent crime rate in the Commonwealth. We’re not breaking any federal laws, and no criminal gets a free pass here. But what you will find here is a city and a police force that treats all our residents equally while also respecting the law and our Constitution. We will not waver. We will remain a sanctuary, and we will not be bullied into villainizing our immigrant community."

The mayor doubled down on Facebook, where he went so far as to say Hodgson was exposing himself as a "jack-booted thug" who "wants to jail political opponents for made-up offenses."

Image via Mayor Joseph Curtatone Facebook