Boston Mayor Michelle Wu expressed confidence heading into a Congressional oversight committee hearing on sanctuary city policies that she says has been portrayed as a “showdown” by the Republican-led House panel.

She has held roughly a dozen prep sessions and hired outside counsel at $950/hour to gear up for a hearing Wednesday that is both a minefield and a potential political opportunity.

Mayor Michelle Wu said Monday that she’s ready to testify before Congress this week about Boston’s status as a sanctuary city. “Not my first rodeo,” she said when asked about what she’s expecting. “We have already seen some materials put out in advance that seems designed to heighten interest and frame it as some id of showdown or dramatic moment,

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is preparing for a trip to Washington, D.C., this week, where she'll be challenged to defend the city's policy on not cooperating with federal immigration enforcement actions while facing criticism and the threat of funding cuts.

While Mayor Wu prepares to face the heat in Washington, President Donald Trump's border czar has again suggested that he would personally come to Boston.