Congressman Steve King (R-IA).

Congressman Steve King, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, announces that he has introduced legislation targeting state and local officials in Sanctuary Cities who act to obstruct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to enforce federal immigration laws. King’s bill, HR 5884- the “Mayor Libby Schaaf Act of 2018,” is named after the infamous Mayor of Oakland who recently tipped off illegal aliens about impending ICE raids in her city. Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan has stated that 800 criminal aliens were able to avoid capture because of the public warning she gave. Homan has also compared Mayor Schaaf’s actions to those of a “gang lookout yelling ‘police’ when a police cruiser comes in the neighborhood.” President Trump has recently suggested that Attorney General Jeff Sessions prosecute Mayor Schaaf for her actions.

“Sanctuary politicians are placing the lives of citizens and law enforcement officers in jeopardy by giving illegal aliens warnings about impending ICE actions in local jurisdictions,” said King. “This is obstruction of justice, and Americans do not have to put up with it. Under my bill, government officials who tip off illegal aliens about imminent federal immigration enforcement efforts could face up to 5 years in prison. I want lawless, Sanctuary City politicians to hear this message clearly: if you obstruct ICE, you are going to end up in the cooler.”

Although many have expressed outrage over the actions of lawless Sanctuary City politicians like Mayor Libby Schaaf, there is some debate in the legal community as to whether the existing federal code effectively criminalizes the obstructionist behavior in which these individuals willfully and selfishly engage. Passage of King’s “Mayor Libby Schaaf Act of 2018” will remove all doubt as to the criminality of the underlying conduct in these cases.

Mayor Schaaf has previously proclaimed her willingness to go to jail for her actions. The time has come to ensure the federal government has the tools it needs to call her virtue signaling bluff.