During 2000, President Bill Clinton signed the Bringing in and Harboring Certain Aliens Act (3 U.S.C 1324).
The main purposes of this federal law was to stop persons to encourage, induce illegal aliens to come, enter or residence in this country without legal status.
Under this law, a person who assists such aliens, if convicted, can be fined or imprisoned not more than five years or both.
Recently, Oakland California Mayor Libby Schaaf publicly forewarned the local area immigrant community of an upcoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE raids in northern California to pick up these aliens.
Later, due to Mayor Schaaf’s public announcement, an ICE spokesperson stated that out of close to 1,000 aliens, there were more than 800 still free and not under federal custody.
He attributed this situation to her announcement.
Could Mayor Schaaf be criminally prosecuted for her announcement?
Silvestre Moreno Jr., Mercedes
