Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf harbors no regret about tipping off illegal immigrants to a federal raid over the weekend, telling The Washington Post she considers herself "part of the resistance" against President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Schaaf alerted the public Saturday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were targeting illegal immigrants in a sweep that began Sunday in northern California cities.
In a statement Tuesday, Schaaf defended her warning to illegal immigrants.
"My statement on Saturday was meant to give all residents time to learn their rights and know their legal options," the mayor said in the statement. "It was my intention that one mother, or one father, would use the information to help keep their family together. I do not regret sharing this information. It is Oakland's legal right to be a sanctuary city, and we have not broken any laws."
In an interview with the Post, Schaaf said she is part of the resistance against Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.
"I consider myself a law-abiding citizen," Schaaf told the Post. "I consider myself a believer in an American democracy that moves toward a more just society. And I definitely consider myself part of the resistance.
"I think it's my responsibility as a person in power and privilege to share the information I have access to, to make sure people know what their rights are," Schaff told the Post.
ICE confirmed arrests of more than 150 undocumented immigrants – only half of which had criminal records, the Post reports – and slammed Schaaf for aiding another 864 "criminal aliens."
"The Oakland mayor's decision to publicize her suspicions about ICE operations further increased [risks] for my officers and alerted criminal aliens — making clear that this reckless decision was based on her political agenda with the very federal laws that ICE is sworn to uphold," acting ICE director Thomas Homan said in a statement.
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