While President Donald Trump floats the idea of pulling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers out of California, the mayor of Oakland is pressing the panic button.
Warning residents of an impending ICE raid, Mayor Libby Schaaf issued a statement declaring, “I know that Oakland is a city of law-abiding immigrants and families who deserve to live free from the constant threat of arrest and deportation.”
Schaaf also took to Twitter: “I believe it is my duty and moral obligation as mayor to give those families fair warning when that threat appears imminent.”
The mayor didn’t say how she learned of the reputed ICE sweep, and ICE would not confirm that one was planned. “There are ICE operations every day and it is unclear what the mayor is referring to,” said an official for the agency.
Schaaf’s “alert” highlights the increasingly tense standoff between politicians in California — a declared sanctuary state – and federal immigration officers.
Thomas Homan, acting director of ICE, has said that local and state officials who adhere to sanctuary policies should be arrested. He previously said California’s pushback is requiring more manpower to conduct operations there.
Last week, Trump suggested, without elaboration, that he might order ICE out of the state and let California deal with consequences. That left White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah to interpret the president’s remark for reporters.
“We think California should actually enforce immigration law rather than get in the way of it and ignore federal immigration law. We think that sanctuary cities are a threat to public safety and they encourage more illegal immigration,” Shah said.
“I wouldn’t get ahead of anything the president might do,” Shah added. “But I would say that California’s law-enforcement decisions, and decisions of the governor and others up and down at the state level, have been very troubling.”
For now, it’s business as usual at ICE. During one week last month, immigration agents raided 77 Northern California businesses, asking the detained for proof that they were allowed to work in the country. The agency also conducted large-scale sweeps in Southern California.
Meantime, local and state officials are expending public funds to protect illegal aliens. Alameda County, which includes Oakland, shelled out $1 million for a rapid-response hotline aimed at helping illegal migrants swept up in immigration raids.
In a statement to FAIR on Monday, ICE said: “Deportation officers with ICE and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) conduct targeted enforcement operations on a daily basis in Northern California and across the nation.”
“ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately. However, ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.”
“While the vast majority of cities in America do cooperate with ICE, others force ICE to assign additional resources to conduct at-large arrests in the community, putting officers, the general public and the aliens at greater risk and increasing the incidence of collateral arrests. Sanctuary cities and states are not immune from federal law.”
12 Comments
That mayor should be thrown in jail NOW!!!
They are NOT law-abiding immigrants. They are ILLEGAL ALIENS! Being here illegally means they broke the law! How is that law-abiding?
You are right, that mayor is a law breaker too.
arrest her lock her up and throw the key away let’s solve the problem of these lunatic polticians the simple way lock them up
When those sworn and entrusted to uphold and enforce the laws are the same most guilty of violating them we can expect nothing less than the anarchy that exists in our country today.
There is a fine line separating gross and willful dereliction of duty from treason. Far too many elected or appointed to office have long ago crossed that line.
The government has been kicking the immigration flaws down the road for 30 plus years because it
seems to problematic to solve. It is not hard at all, simply put your are either legally in this country
or you are not. If you are not, you are subject to arrest and deportation, no exceptions.
I totally agree
We have Americans who are homeless plus WE THE PEOPLE no longer want illegals killing our people besides as we keep noticing by reports we should feel sorry for Man pulled away from his family for deportation, who for 30 years did nothing just took advantage lived free without paying a dime of taxes plus even Married an American. If he cared one bit as much as the news want us to believe he cared. No one owes anybody anything. Our state department in California instead of doing what is right, they cry boohoo help illegals with tax payer money. No thanks. We need to be like it was in the 70’s zero tolerance for illegals. As it should be.. Obama administration helped many of them with ways to screw the tax payers of this country. These days most illegals are here to take advantage of our welfare and even social security, college degrees and some have even purchased homes. However, most never will care to become Americans, in fact, most have no respect to even learn and speak English. Illegals pay no taxes, get government help, get help paying for their kids while screwing every one of us because they all work – California gives illegals priority for jobs, health care anything they want. Democrats use them to scam the rest of the American people out of votes. God help America
Dear Rhina: You took the words and many more I could add but have spent too much of my valuable time commenting on articles like this, i thank yu. As someonee who lives in the once beautiful, clean, affordable liveable and prosperous ciyy of San Francisco and under the liberals it’s become a dirty, disgusting overrated, overpriced S**THOLE complete wirh bums, hordes of chinese ‘boat people, homeless encampments everywhere, piss and S**T on the streets and sudewalks, crme, unaffordable housing prices and costs of living, crappy local economy and general malaise and some of the highest taxes to pay for all theis ‘socialist BS! Let mayor schaff go to prison for defending these invaders, and take ort mayor and board of ‘stupidvisors’ along with her who promote and allow this destruction. I for one ‘am planning my escape and can’t wait to leave this God forsaken CRAPHOLE
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I hate to see good, law abiding, ppl. kicked out of the country, some who were born here. That is one of the stupidest laws on the books. The kids are not responsible, their parents are. The law should be that if the parents are illegal, then the babies, or kids are too, way it should be, but another example of dumb politicians. We could make a way for them to stay & become citizens, but then we would be showing favoritism to ppl. who are trying & have been trying for some time to come in the correct, lawful way. It seems to me there should be some intelligent, well-educated, solution to this dilemma. We need to go back to the way we used to allow them into the country through Ellis Island. If we need to let them in for studying or some extended visa, issue it & then keep up with them & where they are. If they move or leave the country, they let ICE know it. I don’t know the answers, but government screwed it up & they need to get it fixed pronto. This is like a lot of other things the politicians keep kicking the can down the road.
The government has made a mess of this, however, let’s put the blame squarely where it belongs – on those people who SNUCK ACROSS THE BORDER! The other major problem is the laws that allow birthright citizenship (aka anchor babies). Why should citizenship be allowed just because your ILLEGAL mother was able to cross the border and squeeze out s baby! Not only is it an enormous cost to our government, but is just plain WRONG! If we didn’t have this law, millions of aliens would just be returned to their homeland as soon as the mom and baby could travel.
I bet a repeal of this law would prevent so many pregnant ILLEGALS from crossing the borders.
The U.S. can no longer afford to pay for every person that comes here. Stay in your own country and fix the problems there. Don’t come here and bring your diseases and filth. We DO NOT WANT YOU HERE!!!!