Earlier this year, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D-CA) warned the city of planned raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) on Twitter.
During a recent White House roundtable meeting on tougher immigration standards, President Trump called Mayor Schaaf’s actions an “obstruction of justice” and called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take action.
Politico reports:
“I mean, you talk about obstruction of justice, I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland, California, Jeff,” Trump said, gesturing toward Sessions.
Mayor Schaaf defended her actions and pushed back on President Trump’s comments in an op-ed in The Washington Post.
The Hill reports:
“As mayor, it’s my duty to protect my residents — especially when our most vulnerable are unjustly attacked. As a leader, it’s my duty to call out this administration’s anti-immigrant fearmongering for what it is: a racist lie,” Schaaf wrote, also denying the “obstruction of justice” allegation.
“Mr. President, I am not obstructing justice. I am seeking it,” she wrote, writing that the immigrants in her community “deserve justice too.”
According to ICE, Mayor Schaaf’s warning allowed illegal aliens, including those that committed crimes, to avoid arrest.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which planned to target around 1,000 people living illegally in the Bay Area city earlier this year, said Schaaf’s warning tweet prevented the arrests of nearly 800.
It’s outrageous Mayor Schaaf is ignoring the rule of law by placing the interests of illegal aliens over the welfare of her own constituents.