Civic Register
| 3.13.18

ICE Spokesman Resigns Over Statements by Trump, Sessions On California Immigrants

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What’s the story?

James Schwab, a now-former San Francisco spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), resigned his post, alleging "false" and “misleading” statements by department officials and President Trump regarding undocumented immigrant arrests in California. Schwab maintains that he sought to clarify and pushback on what he called “mischaracterizations” of the situation, and was told not to do so by officials.

232 undocumented immigrants were detained in a recent Northern California sweep. 115 of those had felonies or misdemeanors on their records.

President Trump’s statement about Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff, who notified the community about a planned ICE raid February 25, was tweeted by Fox & Friends:

The Washington Post reports Attorney General Jeff Sessions characterized the impact of Schaaf’s actions at an event in Sacramento:

"Those are 800 wanted criminals that are now at large in that community — 800 wanted criminals that ICE will now have to pursue with more difficulty in more dangerous situations, all because of one mayor’s irresponsible action."

ICE Acting Director Thomas D. Homan made a similar statement:

"864 criminal aliens and public safety threats remain at large in the community, and I have to believe that some of them were able to elude us thanks to the mayor’s irresponsible decision. Unlike the politicians who attempt to undermine ICE’s critical mission, our officers will continue to fulfill their sworn duty to protect public safety."

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle Monday, Schwab offered a different view, arguing that the numbers presented were misleading because the raid would never have picked up 100 percent of the undocumented immigrants identified:

"I didn’t feel like fabricating the truth to defend ourselves against (Schaaf’s) actions was the way to go about it. We were never going to pick up that many people. To say that 100 percent are dangerous criminals on the street, or that those people weren’t picked up because of the misguided actions of the mayor, is just wrong."

Schwab maintained that when he asked to clarify the numbers and impact of the February 25 raid, higher ups at ICE suggested he "deflect" questions from the media:

"It’s the job of a public affairs officer to offer transparency for the agency you work for. I felt like we weren’t doing that. I’ve never been in a situation when I’ve been asked to ignore the facts because it was more convenient. It was my first time being asked to do that."

What do you think?

Was Schwab right to resign? Was Mayor Schaaf right to notify her community in advance of the raid? Do you think the characterizations of the situation by Sessions, Homan, and President Trump matter? Why?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Creative Commons)