Posted on 11/19/2007 1:00:11 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
A proposal to prohibit local law enforcement officials from conducting raids on illegal immigrants in Des Moines was presented to at least one City Council member recently.
Councilwoman Christine Hensley said Sunday that she spoke about six weeks ago with representatives of two immigration-rights groups that presented a plan that would block local city departments - including the police - from conducting raids on immigrants or inquiring about a person's immigration status.
Aspects of the proposal, brought up Sunday at an immigration forum, are similar to a national trend of "sanctuary cities."
"They're looking at ordinances that have been passed in other parts of the country that would address that ," Hensley said. "It's really important to emphasize it's in the very, very beginning stages of discussion."
Hensley said the impetus for the ordinance is illegal immigrants who fear raids and do not come to work, incurring costs on their employers.
"What I suggested to them is there has to be a lot of discussion about it and whether or not there's really a problem," she said.
Details on the plan and its chances of becoming an ordinance are unknown.
Alex Orozco, executive director of the Iowa-based Network Against Human Trafficking who is one of the people who met with Hensley, said Sunday he is trying to set up a meeting with Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie before the end of the year.
Orozco would not name the other immigration-rights group involved in the proposal.
Orozco declined to elaborate on specifics of the proposal except to say that "the ordinance would make it harder to conduct raids" and "all the city departments would be involved."
Hensley said she didn't have more details about the plan.
Councilmen Tom Vlassis, Bob Mahaffey and Michael Kiernan each said they had not heard of the plan.
Cownie, Councilmen Brian Meyer and Chris Coleman could not be reached for comment.
Orozco said media coverage of the plan while it is still in the preliminary stages would hurt its chances of passage. "We don't want anybody with hard feelings about this issue to get mad when we haven't even finalized it," he said.
Orozco had made a reference to the proposal earlier Sunday at an immigration forum at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines.
Even without all the details, some aspects of the proposal appear to mimic a nationwide trend: so-called "sanctuary cities" that direct local police not to look for violations of immigration law.
The term "sanctuary city" has come under scrutiny, said Tim Counts, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, adding that there is no legal definition.
Counts said that as far as he knew, any city ordinance would not interfere with federal agents conducting raids.
Nearly 70 cities, counties, and states have enacted sanctuary policies, according to a preliminary count by the National Immigration Law Center, but the Congressional Research Service in 2006 put the number at 32 cities and counties, according to a Sept. 25 article in the Christian Science Monitor.
A major raid in Iowa came last Dec. 12 when immigration agents swept through Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in Marshalltown and five other cities nationwide, arresting about 1,200 workers - one-tenth of Swift's work force - on immigration or identity-theft charges.
The raids prompted a September federal civil-rights lawsuit filed in Texas against both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement by some of the workers detained.
In August 2000, Des Moines police detained 49 illegal immigrants in a raid on a south-side bar that they said was the result of a six-week police investigation of drugs allegedly being sold at the establishment.
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Reporter Nigel Duara can be reached at (515) 284-8065 or nduara@dmreg.com
Good by Des Moines ... it was nice to know ya!
When localities tried to oppose ending segregation, the federal government came in and forced them to desegregate. You cannot, and least you shouldn’t be able to, just decide that certain federal laws don’t apply in your city.
Why aren’t there any anti-IRS sanctuary cities? Just imagine a city that outlawed raids, investigations and audits by the IRS. It would be an economic boom town.
A “plan” has presented to ONE city council member, others haven’t even heard of it, and the presenter has so far been unsuccessful in even getting a meeting with the mayor. I don’t think there’s any need to get worked up about this.
This is disgusting.
I’m sure our “rule of law” president will have something to say about this.
Hensley, unfortunately, is influental.
The plan does sound very tentative, but to be on the safe side please send brief, polite notes to the mayor and council:
ci.des-moines.ia.us/mayor_council/message/index.htm
And the real question should be, why hasn't this council member been arrested by the feds for inciting lawlessness?
>>>>>Hensley said the impetus for the ordinance is illegal immigrants who fear raids and do not come to work, incurring costs on their employers.
Works for me.
How about, the employers DON’T hire the illegals, then won’t have to worry about them being snabbed up in raids or being afraid to come to work for roundups? Presenting this as a protection for employers is just bogus thinking.
>>>>>Hensley said the impetus for the ordinance is illegal immigrants who fear raids and do not come to work, incurring costs on their employers.
Works for me.
Alex Orozco, executive director of the Iowa-based Network Against Human Trafficking who is one of the people who met with Hensley, said Sunday he is trying to set up a meeting with Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie before the end of the year.
Let's see what the lefties love more -- the illegals or the Federal pork.
What the heck have they put in the water in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin?
Of course it was not necessary to mention the member’s party.
This is great! Get all of IOWA talking about sanctuary cities. It becomes an issue for anyone trying to win the Iowa caucuses. The more immigration becomes an issue, the better it is for the Republicans.
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