Bullying of Oakland mayor proves that politics pollutes truth

Por favor. First, Schaaf swore an oath, but it wasn't to Washington; she doesn't take orders from the federal government any more than immigration agents take orders from local municipalities that make meaningless declarations of sanctuary. Second, it's absurd that ICE -- which routinely alerts employers of impending raids, which leads to employers informing workers, which leads to workers mysteriously not showing up for work that day -- is now suddenly concerned about secrecy. And third, if Californians want to punish the accomplices for illegal immigration, all they have to do is round up the U.S. citizens who employ them -- to pick peaches, build homes, raise kids, clean houses, and do every other chore that entitled Americans think is beneath them.

Recently, the administration's case against Schaaf fell apart. Both Sessions and Homan have said that 864 "criminal aliens" skedaddled because Schaaf tipped them off. They arrived at that figure by taking the number of targeted immigrants -- which media reports put at "nearly 1,100" -- and subtracting the number they actually arrested, which officials claimed was 232.

But there is no proof that those 864 "criminal aliens" had access to Twitter, saw that tweet, or even that they read English well enough to understand it if they had seen it.

It gets worse. The whole "nearly 1,100" number is phony. That was just the target, which ICE never hits. Former ICE Director John Torres has said the agency typically captures about 40 percent of people it targets in sweeps.

And worse. James Schwab, a former ICE spokesman for Northern California, resigned on March 9 to protest what he called "false and misleading" public statements by Homan, Sessions and Trump about Schaaf and the operation. A dozen U.S. senators have signed a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, asking him to investigate Schwab's claims.

And worse. The administration is now saying that three of the people Schaaf supposedly helped escape were later arrested on other crimes. Yet, an ICE spokesman confirmed that the arrests took place far from Oakland -- in Sacramento (80 miles away), Los Banos (110 miles away), and Tulare County (220 miles away). There is also no evidence that the three men have ever been to Oakland.

What a circus. This is what happens when a news story is polluted by politics and personal agendas. The first thing you lose sight of is the truth.

During Holy Week, Schaaf's bravery in the face of slander and spin recalls a certain Bible tale about a boy who took on a giant with no more than a sling. And we know how that story turned out.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.