Every well-conceived criminal activity needs a lookout or a mole, someone with inside information who can help the criminals know what the police are up to.
People in the country illegally who live in and around Oakland, California have a highly-placed lookout in Libby Schaaf. She’s in a good position to have intel on what authorities are up to because she is the Mayor of Oakland.
Two weeks ago Schaaf received word about an impending raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Schaaf responded by posting a message on Twitter.
“Earlier today, I learned from multiple credible sources that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to conduct an operation in the Bay Area, including Oakland, starting as soon as within the next 24 hours,” the Mayor wrote.
Oakland is a sanctuary city so the Mayor said she felt obligated to send out the warning to protect “law-abiding immigrants and families… (who) deserve to live free from the constant threat of arrest and deportation.”
ICE Deputy Director Thomas D. Homan didn’t see it that way. He said what Schaaf actually did was alert criminals and endanger officers. ICE still managed to round up 232 suspected undocumented immigrants, but officials estimate that as many as 800 more were able to elude capture because of the warning.
ICE said of those picked up, about half—115—had prior records of felonies or significant or multiple misdemeanors. One illegal rounded up had been convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and had been deported in 2003. Another had an armed robbery conviction.
Homan said, “Sanctuary jurisdictions like San Francisco and Oakland shield dangerous criminal aliens from federal law enforcement at the expense of public safety. Unlike the politicians who attempt to undermine ICE’s critical mission, our officers will continue to fulfill their sworn duty to protect public safety.”
Mayor Schaaf remains unapologetic. She told the Washington Post that she considers herself part of “the resistance” against the policies of the Trump administration. She might want to add to that the title of “accessory” to a crime or possibly an “obstructer of justice.”