With Ash Wednesday ashes on her forehead and a baby on her shoulder, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu strode into a Capitol Hill hearing room two steps ahead of the Republicans who were looking to flambé her over her city’s lack of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The group of artists, working under the name “Silence Dogood,” said Boston has been committed to liberty since the age of the American Revolution.

The firm charged a rate of $950 per hour, and the city “expects to pay” up to $650,000 for work related to the hearing.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu faced plenty of questions during a marathon congressional hearing Wednesday on the city’s limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities. And for more than five hours,

Wu emerged from the marathon hearing largely unscathed, and managed to land a few hits in the face of aggressive questioning.

Here's an explanation of “sanctuary city” policies that will be debated as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu testifies before Congress.