The DOJ Is Investigating Oakland's Mayor After She Tipped Immigrants Off About ICE Raids

By Clio Chang  |  March 2, 2018 | 3:45pm
Immigration

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned undocumented residents last weekend about a scheduled ICE sweep that was about to start in Northern California. On Thursday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that the Department of Justice would investigate Schaaf’s actions.

“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.”

The raids resulted in 232 arrests, fewer than half of whom were undocumented people with criminal records, according to The Washington Post.

Schaaf has stood by her decision to sound the alarm, saying, “We have to fight against the racist myth that the Trump administration is trying to perpetuate— that immigrants are dangerous criminals.” Maricela Gutiérrez, executive director of the immigrant advocacy organization SIREN, told the Post the mayor’s warning “really created a mass mobilization. As advocates, we took [Schaaf’s warning] very seriously.”

The mayor has also faced intense pushback from ICE Deputy Director Thomas Homan, who complained on Fox News that Schaaf’s actions were akin to a “gang lookout yelling ‘police.’” Now the Trump administration is backing ICE up.

Schaaf, though, has proven that she is not easily bullied.

 
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