Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 1 March 2018

Immigration chief: 800 avoided arrest due to mayor’s warning

neighborhood, except she ies from Sacramento in the
did it to a whole commu- north to Stockton in Cali-
nity,” Thomas Homan, the fornia’s Central Valley ag-
Immigration and Customs ricultural heartland.
Enforcement acting chief, About half of those arrest-
told “Fox and Friends.” ed for being in the country
The mayor warned resi- illegally had criminal con-
dents over the weekend victions, the agency said.
of large-scale, impending Schaaf, a Democrat who is
raids by immigration agents running for re-election this
in the San Francisco Bay year, warned residents on
Area, escalating tensions Twitter Saturday night that
between California officials “credible sources” told her
and the Trump administra- a sweep was imminent,
tion. calling it her “duty and
Homan said the Justice moral obligation” to warn
Department is looking into families.
whether Schaaf obstructed California lawmakers from
justice and said her actions Gov. Jerry Brown, also a
allowed immigrants who Democrat, down to lo-
have committed crimes to cal mayors have resisted
remain in Oakland, making a Trump administration
the community less safe. immigration crackdown
“I just can’t believe it hap- that they contend is arbi-
pened,” he said. trarily hauling in otherwise
In this Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017 photo, foreign nationals are arrested during a targeted enforcement Federal immigration agents law-abiding people and
operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aimed at immigration arrested more than 150 splitting up families that in-
fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal aliens in Los Angeles. people in California in the clude U.S.-born children.
(Charles Reed/U.S. ICE via AP) days after Schaaf’s warn- In a statement Tuesday,
By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ 800 people living illegally Libby Schaaf put on Twitter. ing of the raids, the agency Homan suggested the
Associated Press in Northern California were “What she did is no better announced Tuesday. sweep targeted so-called
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A able to avoid arrest be- than a gang lookout yell- Agents made the arrests in “sanctuary cities” that limit
top immigration official said cause of a weekend warn- ing ‘police’ when a po- a three-day sweep starting cooperation between ICE
Wednesday that about ing that Oakland Mayor lice cruiser comes in the Sunday that covered cit- and local law enforce-
ment.
Teen held in custody in MS-13 gang sweep released “Sanctuary jurisdictions
like San Francisco and
Oakland shield dangerous
By COLLEEN LONG alleged to have flashed President Donald Trump Dobbs Ferry, New York, criminal aliens from federal
Associated Press “gang signs” in the hallway. promised his administration run by the Office of Refu- law enforcement at the
NEW YORK (AP) — A Federal agents later said would “dismantle, deci- gee Resettlement, which expense of public safety,”
17-year-old from El Sal- he was in MS-13, in part mate and eradicate” MS- handles children. At a cus- Homan said.
vador held in custody for because of the school 13. tody hearing in December, “Because these jurisdic-
seven months after he was suspension, and because But federal and state au- a judge rejected the gang tions prevent ICE from ar-
accused of MS-13 gang they claimed he had tat- thorities have declined re- allegations, according to resting criminal aliens in the
activity during a secretive toos and wore gang cloth- peated requests for even his attorneys. secure confines of a jail,
federal sweep has been re- ing, the lawsuit said. But he basic information in the LVM was released from cus- they also force ICE officers
leased after a lawsuit was disputed the allegations sweep, made public in tody on Feb. 22, less than a to make more arrests out
filed on his behalf. — for example, he has no most law enforcement op- week after the lawsuit was in the community, which
The teen, identified as LVM tattoos, according to the erations, such as the names filed. Civil liberties lawyers poses increased risks for
in the court documents, lawsuit — and an immigra- of those arrested and the say the case, which seeks law enforcement and the
came to the U.S. with his tion judge found he was crimes they are accused of class-action status, will con- public.”
mother after he was tar- not dangerous. committing. tinue because as many as Defenders of sanctuary city
geted by gangs in his na- Many teenagers on Long LVM was arrested by immi- 40 others under the age of practices say they improve
tive country, the lawsuit Island have been held on gration agents in July 2017 18 are wrongly being held. public safety by promot-
said. He had no criminal gang accusations, swept as part of “Operation Mat- They also suggested that ing trust among law en-
history and no disciplinary up in various federal inves- ador” a large-scale gang LVM, like others in immigra- forcement and immigrant
problems in El Salvador, but tigations into MS-13 activity sweep on Long Island, the tion-related lawsuits, was communities and reserving
was suspended from Bell- there after an explosion of lawsuit said. quickly released in an ef- scarce police resources for
port High School on Long violence. In a visit to Long He was sent to a facility in fort to undermine the legal other, more urgent crime-
Island in April after he was Island last July, Republican Virginia and later one in effort.q fighting needs. q