The Justice Department is reviewing the actions of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf after she publicly tipped off the immigrant community about an ICE enforcement operation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday.
Schaaf warned the community of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation Saturday, less than 24 hours before ICE began arresting dozens of suspected undocumented immigrants across Northern California. ICE netted a total of 232 suspected undocumented immigrants, 115 of whom had prior felonies or “significant or multiple misdemeanors†on their records. But Thomas D. Homan, ICE deputy director, said that possibly hundreds more “illegal aliens … were able to elude us thanks to the mayor’s irresponsible decision.â€
Critics have said that Schaaf’s decision to warn immigrants of the raid amounted to obstruction of justice, something she has adamantly denied. Schaaf has defended her actions as legal by saying she did not obtain the information through official government channels — but through “multiple credible sources†— and because she did not reveal specific details about the operation.
On Thursday, Sanders said she believed Schaaf endangered ICE agents by tipping off the community, a belief shared by Homan.
“I think it’s outrageous that a mayor would circumvent federal authorities and certainly put them in danger by making a move such as that,†Sanders said. “And that’s currently under review by the Department of Justice.â€
Lock her up.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/03/02/justice-department-reviewing-actions-of-oakland-mayor-who-tipped-off-immigrants-of-ice-raid-white-house-says/
