ICE raids net 150; Schaaf blasted
‘864 criminal aliens and public safety threats’ at large thanks to Oakland mayor, says official
OAKLAND >> Two days after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned about impending ICE raids, immigration officials confirmed Tuesday they had detained 150 people but said they were still searching for 864 others who avoided capture because of the mayor’s “reckless” decision.
“The Oakland mayor’s decision to publicize her suspicions about ICE operations further increased that risk for my officers and alerted criminal aliens — making clear that this reckless decision was based on her political agenda with the very federal laws that ICE is sworn to uphold,” ICE Deputy Director Thomas D. Homan said.
Homan’s critical remarks represent an intensification of the conflict between federal officials and cities that have said they will protect immigrants. Schaaf’s warning was the boldest move yet by a mayor to counter the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Schaaf stood by her decision Tuesday. “My statement on Saturday was meant to give all residents time to learn their rights and know their legal options,” Schaaf said in a statement. “It was my intention that one mother, or one father, would use the information to help keep their family together.”
“I do not regret sharing this information,” she continued. “It is Oakland’s legal right to be a sanctuary city and we have not broken any laws. We believe our community is safer when families stay together. We know that law-abiding res-
idents live in fear of arrest and deportation every day. My priority is for the longterm well-being of Oakland, and I know that our city is safer when we share information that leads to community awareness.”
Homan said ICE deportation officers were still able to remove many “public safety threats” from Bay Area streets.
“However, 864 criminal aliens and public safety threats remain at large in the community, and I have to believe that some of them were able to elude us thanks to the mayor’s irresponsible decision,” he said. “Unlike the politicians who attempt to undermine ICE’s critical mission, our officers will continue to fulfill their sworn duty to protect public safety.”
According to a report by Fox News reporter Claudia Cowan, ICE officials plan to ask the U.S. Justice Department to look into whether Schaaf violated any laws and, if so, hold her accountable for protecting anyone breaking the law for being in the country illegally.
“The wrongdoer here is ICE. Even if whomever shared the raid info with Libby didn’t have authority to do so, that person might get in trouble, but it would not be appropriate for ICE to go after Libby for it.” — Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan
ICE officials said some of the people arrested since Sunday were violating federal immigration laws and face criminal prosecution for illegal entry or re-entry into the United States, while others with outstanding deportation orders will face immediate removal.
Two people still sought in Oakland were described as “a Honduran citizen who was previously arrested in San Francisco County multiple times for cocaine possession and transport, probation violations and sex with a minor under 16” and “a citizen of Mexico who was previously arrested and convicted for carrying a loaded firearm, transportation and sale of narcotics and DUI.” Both have been deported several times before but have been released from local custody despite previous detention orders, ICE officials said.
ICE officials said people were arrested in Sacramento, Stockton, San Francisco and Bay Point, where a Mexican citizen had been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and had been removed from the U.S. by ICE eight times.
Schaaf has drawn fire over her weekend decision to alert residents to the possibility of sweeps.
Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who was critical of the mayor for not choosing a more private way of sharing the information with Oakland’s immigrant community, defended her Tuesday.
“It would be wrong for them to go after her,” said Kaplan, referring to the Fox News report. “The wrongdoer here is ICE. Even if whoever shared the raid info with Libby didn’t have authority to do so, that person might get in trouble, but it would not be appropriate for ICE to go after Libby for it.”
Kaplan noted that authorities earlier allowed Schaaf to see a sealed warrant from an ICE operation in Oakland last August, which led to the Oakland City Council voting to sever all ties between the city’s police and ICE.
“ICE has previously chosen to share secret info with Schaaf when they were trying to spread a false story about child trafficking in West Oakland,” Kaplan said. “So it doesn’t seem they have clear policy or practice about protected information.”
The recent activity did not come as a surprise to Bay Area immigrant rights groups including the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network in Santa Clara County.
“At SIREN, we condemn ICE’s action but believe it’s important for community members to be prepared in the event that there are similar actions in the future given that we know how this administration is operating and targeting undocumented community members,” said Priya Murthy, a policy and advocacy director for the group.