Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley is slamming Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for  “reckless and inflammatory statements” about federal immigration authorities in a recent interview, equating agents to “secret police.”

“Referring to federal agents as ‘secret police’ is offensive,” Foley said in a video released this morning on her office’s social media accounts. “There are no secret police. ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement partners, are making immigration arrests. That is no secret.”

Wu, who has been critical of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and deportation efforts, made her remarks during an interview with WBUR last week, highlighting how the city is involved in “four, about to be five, different lawsuits” with the feds.

“People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors,” the mayor said, “folks getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks and can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained.”

Foley called Wu’s claim a “gross misrepresentation and a disservice to the public.”

“They’re arresting individuals who are here illegally, which is a violation of federal law,” Foley said of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions. “Every enforcement action is conducted within the bounds of the Constitution and our laws. With oversight, legal justification and accountability.”

“Federal agents in marked jackets and vests are masking their faces because people like Mayor Wu have created false narratives about their mission,” the U.S. attorney added. Federal agents and their children are being threatened, doxxed and assaulted. That is why they must hide their faces.”

Foley’s remarks come after federal immigration authorities announced details of ‘Operation Patriot,’ a monthlong enforcement operation in May that resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,500 illegal aliens in Massachusetts.

The uptick in immigration arrests led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has sparked criticism from Democrats who have raised concerns about immigrants’ due process rights, but praise from Republicans who want more deportations under President Donald Trump.

The Herald has reached out to Wu’s office for a response.

— Developing