Trump Singles Out 'Sanctuary City' Lawrence As NH Opioid Source

Gov. Charlie Baker and Lawrence mayor Dan River fired back Monday after President Donald Trump named the Massachusetts city as one of the drivers of the opioid crisis in New Hampshire during a visit to the Granite State.

Trump was in Manchester on Monday to roll out his administration's plan to tackle the opioid crisis. At one point, he decried the policies of so-called sanctuary cities and blamed lax law enforcement efforts in Lawrence for the spread of deadly drugs.

"According to a recent Dartmouth study, the sanctuary city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, is one of the primary sources of fentanyl in six New Hampshire counties," Trump said.

The president also referred to Boston as a sanctuary city and called on Congress to hold back funding to cities that do not fully cooperate with immigration enforcement agencies.

"I'd like to start by saying shame on the president," Rivera told reporters at City Hall Monday afternoon. "He's trafficking in pain and divisiveness."

Baker issued a statement after Trump's speech: "The President’s statements denigrating entire cities are plain wrong and our administration is proud to work collaboratively with municipal leaders across Massachusetts to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the state while increasing access to treatment, and prioritizing prevention.

"The opioid epidemic knows no geographic boundaries and while there are trend lines that are moving in the right direction as we work to fight the opioid and heroin epidemic in Massachusetts, there is still more work to do."

A handful of candidates running for Congress in the Third District — which includes Lawrence — also sent statements Monday pushing back on the president's comments.

Last year, 30 people were arrested on gun, drug and immigration charges in a sweep that brought down a Lawrence-based criminal network that then-Acting U.S Attorney William Weinreb described as "one of the largest fentanyl trafficking organizations ever seen in Massachusetts."

The governors of Maine and New Hampshire have each pointed fingers at Lawrence as they fight the opioid crisis in their respective states, though Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera has rejected their claims.

Image via Jeffrey Hastings/frameofmindphoto.com, used with permission.