Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan on Thursday slammed Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D) for sending out a warning to illegal immigrants about raids being conducted over the weekend.
He said on “Fox & Friends” that what Schaaf did on Saturday was “no better than a gang lookout yelling ‘police’ when a police cruiser comes in the neighborhood.”
“It’s beyond the pale,” said Homan. “This is a whole new low, to intentionally warn criminals that law enforcement is coming.”
Homan added that ICE has been unable to locate 800 illegal immigrants since Schaaf issued her warning.
Schaaf defended herself in a statement on Tuesday, saying that she sent out the warning to keep families together and that she “meant to give all residents time to learn their rights and know their legal options.”
“It was my intention that one mother, or one father, would use the information to help keep their family together,” the statement reads.
"It is Oakland's legal right to be a sanctuary city and we have not broken any laws,” writes Schaaf. “We believe our community is safer when families stay together.”
Homan said that Schaaf’s actions have actually made the Oakland community less safe and put law enforcement officers at risk.
"When politicians choose to take care of their political ambitions and make political statements on the backs of law enforcement, it's just terrible. It makes our job more difficult," he said.
"But I'll say this to the mayor and every other politician that wants to vilify the men and women of ICE, we're not going away. We're going to keep enforcing the law," said Homan.
When asked whether the Oakland mayor’s actions constitute obstruction of justice, Homan said the Department of Justice is reviewing the matter.
Check out the interview below.
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