Poll: Voters Say Oakland Mayor Should Be Charged With Obstruction of Justice

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf speaks to the liberal press on January 19, 2018, in Oakland, Calif.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is considering legal action against Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for warning illegal immigrants about a pending raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A new survey finds voters want her charged with obstruction of justice.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds 47% of likely voters in the U.S. think the Trump DoJ should seek obstruction of justice charges against the “mayor of a major city” who “recently notified illegal immigrants in her city that federal immigration authorities were about to conduct operations there.”

That includes 48% of white voters, 37% of black voters and a majority (52%) of all other races. Fifty-one percent (51%) of men and 44% of women agree. Seventy-three percent (73%) of Republicans, 28% of Democrats and 44% of voters not affiliated with either party, also agree.

Only thirty-six percent (36%) oppose prosecuting the mayor and 16% are undecided. Only 18% of voters think illegal immigrants have the same legal rights and protections that U.S. citizens have, while an overwhelming 71% disagree and just 11% are not sure.

Even among voters who oppose prosecuting the mayor of Oakland mayor, just 26% believe illegal immigrants have the same legal rights and protections as U.S. citizens.

It’s important to note that the question did not specify the city or name the mayor associated with the warning. The full question was worded as follows:

Q: The mayor of a major city recently notified illegal immigrants in her city that federal immigration authorities were about to conduct operations there. Should the U.S. Justice Department seek obstruction of justice charges against this mayor?

The survey of 1,000 likely voters in the U.S. nationwide was conducted on March 1 and 4, 2018 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.