Oakland mayor defies federal gov't threat over sanctuary cities threat

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mayor Libby Shaaf of Oakland city on the U.S. west coast Wednesday defied a threat of the federal Justice Department over sanctuary cities and rejected a White House meeting with President Donald Trump, local TV KPIX 5 reported.

Schaaf called the new Justice Department threat directed against sanctuary cities as "unconscionable" and "un-American," according to the KPIX 5 report.

The Justice Department warned in letters to more than two dozen sanctuary cities and states that they could be denied important public safety grant worth millions of U.S. dollars from the federal government.

Those state and local officials could be legally forced to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in enforcing crackdown on undocumented immigrants under their jurisdiction, Justice Department officials said.

Describing the threat as "unconscionable," Shaaf said "It is un-American that this administration thinks that it is okay to threaten a duly elected official with jail time for putting, in my opinion, public safety in front of politics."

She reaffirmed her determination to face a possible jail punishment for carrying out the sanctuary cities policy in Oakland, a major port city of California on the U.S. west coast.

"I said last week, that if I have to go to jail to illustrate how un-American, how against our Constitution, this administration's threats are, I would be proud as an American and as an Oaklander to do that," she said.

Together with other mayors in Washington, Shaaf said she has boycotted a meeting with President Trump in the White House Wednesday afternoon.

Sanctuary states and cities refer to some U.S. states and cities, including California, Oregon, Illinois, San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, which are applying a policy that limits their cooperation with federal government on enforcement of immigration law.

They intend to reduce the fear of deportation and possible family break-up among undocumented people who are living in the country, so that they will be more willing to report crimes and access health and social services. Enditem