Republican introduces “Libby Schaaf Act” targeting Oakland mayor who warned of immigration raid

Donald Trump has blasted Ms Schaaf and suggested she should be investigated for obstruction of justice

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf wrote in an op-ed that 'I am not obstructing justice. I am seeking it'. ( REUTERS/Noah Berger)

A Republican immigration hardliner has introduced a bill that would criminalise warning about immigration enforcement actions after the mayor of Oakland did just that.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf enraged the Trump administration by notifying residents earlier this year that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was poised to conduct a sprawling operation across northern California.

Administration officials and Donald Trump himself accused Ms Schaaf of endangering public safety, and Mr Trump mused during a meeting with California Republicans last week about having the Department of Justice investigate Ms Schaaf for obstruction of justice.

Rep Steve King of Iowa has enshrined that idea in legislation with a bill that would make it a crime to “impede the enforcement of the laws of the United States”, including with a “broadcast…of information relating to any imminent action by a Federal law enforcement officer or agent”.

Lest there be any doubt about the bill’s intentions, Mr King named his bill the “Mayor Libby Schaaf Act of 2018”. He cast it as a response to officials in so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that, like Oakland and the state of California, have enacted laws walling off local law enforcement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration has sued California over its “sanctuary” law.

“I want lawless, Sanctuary City politicians to hear this message clearly: if you obstruct ICE, you are going to end up in the cooler”, Mr King said in a statement.

In his release, Mr King repeated the discredited claim that “800 criminal aliens were able to avoid capture” because of Ms Schaaf’s warning. A local ICE spokesman resigned his office in protest after acting ICE director Thomas Homan and Mr Trump repeated similar figures, saying they were baseless exaggerations.

The bill’s author and its namesake stand on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum. Mr King has made cracking down on illegal immigration his defining issue, whereas Ms Schaaf has promoted her efforts to make Oakland a safe haven for undocumented immigrants who have not committed serious crimes

“I'm not going to let the bullies in Washington, DC deter me from doing what I know is right for my community”, Ms Schaaf said in a CNN interview after Mr King unveiled his bill. “In Oakland, we're very clear about what our values are: we value our immigrant communities, we value diversity, and we will not let anyone intimidate us”.

Over the weekend, the Oakland mayor penned an op-ed in which she underscored “my duty to call out this administration’s anti-immigrant fearmongering for what it is: a racist lie”.