Three illegal immigrants, who avoided capture after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf blew the whistle on a raid by federal immigration authorities last month, have since been re-arrested for new crimes including robbery and spousal abuse, ICE officials said.
Schaaf tweeted out a warning ahead of the raid in northern California last month, infuriating Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and the Trump administration.
“How dare you!” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in California this month, addressing Schaaf. “How dare you needlessly endanger the lives of our law enforcement officers to promote a radical, open borders agenda.”
ICE officials eventually caught 232 illegal immigrants, many of them criminals, in the four-day sweep but said that hundreds more escaped because of Schaaf’s warning.
But on Tuesday, officials said that at least three of those who were targeted in the raid, but were not apprehended, had since been arrested for additional crimes.
One was a Mexican national arrested for robbery and gun crimes, who was released back into the community for a prior offense despite an ICE detainer request in November.
Another Mexican national was arrested for a DUI, despite having been deported three times and prior convictions for false imprisonment, DUI and battery of a spouse.
The third was a Mexican national who was arrested for corporal injury of a spouse, despite being deported twice and criminal convictions including drug possession, hit-and-run, DUIs, possessions of narcotics equipment and a parole violation.
Acting ICE Director Tom Homan mentioned the three cases at a roundtable on sanctuary cities at the White House on Tuesday. He also expressed frustration at the mixed messages coming from politicians in sanctuary states.
“We are told on one hand to focus efforts on criminals but those same folks who want to focus on criminals don’t let us into the county jails,” he said. “It just defies logic.”
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While Homan has blamed Schaaf’s actions for the escape of as many as 800 illegal immigrants, it is unclear exactly how many evaded capture directly because of her actions. A DHS official told The New York Times that ICE agents typically find only about 30 percent of their targets during a sweep, meaning that many of those who evaded capture may not have been caught either way.
Schaaf has stood by her actions, saying the community is safer because of sanctuary city policies
“I do not regret sharing this information,” she said last month. “It is Oakland’s legal right to be a sanctuary city and we have not broken any laws. We believe our community is safer when families stay together.”
Last week an Oakland community organizer told Fox News that she was being supported by members of the community.
"People are really supportive of her because she took a stand," Emma Paulino said. "She is serving the people who elected her."
The Justice Department, which is also suing California over its sanctuary city policies, has said it is reviewing Schaaf’s actions, but has yet to make an announcement.
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