ICE Whistleblower Ambushed by Government Agents During Televised Interview

By Rafi Schwartz  |  June 28, 2018 | 1:20pm
Immigration

Former ICE spokesman James Schwab sat down with CBS News on Wednesday to discuss his decision to leave the agency after what he claimed was a request by his bosses to “perpetuate misleading facts” about the effects of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s warning to immigrants that a government raid was pending.

Schwab resigned his position as ICE spokesman shortly after he’d been told to “deflect” questions from the press following misleading claims by both Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan that nearly 800 “wanted aliens” had avoided capture due to Schaaf’s warning.

Midway though the interview, however, Schwab and CBS reporter Jamie Yuccas were interrupted by a knock on the door of Schwab’s home. They were met at the door by two men who claimed to be agents of the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General’s Office. The whole thing was caught on camera.

In footage aired Thursday morning, the agents repeatedly said that they couldn’t speak with Yuccas after she asked them why they are there.

“I’m talking to [Schwab]” one agent insisted. “This is confidential.”

“Why, three months later, are we doing this?” Schwab said to Yuccas after the agents left. “This is intimidation. And this is why people won’t come out and speak against the government.”

According to Schwab, the agents accused him of being involved in Schaaf’s warning about an impending immigration raid, apparently alleging that he had possibly tipped the mayor off that the raid was coming.

“I’ve never met her before. I never contacted Libby Schaaf,” Schwab told Yuccas. “Never. I would never tell her. I would never tell anyone.”

He also said that ICE’s internal communications about the raid were vastly different than the external war the government waged against Schaaf.

“We ended up arresting 232 [people], which is 16 percent higher than our highest estimates. So internally, that was considered a success,” Schwab told CBS. “But what they publicly said was that she let people go.”

I have reached out to DHS for comment about the surprise visit and will update this story with any response.

Watch the full interview below.

 
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