Braley wants to know how much raids cost

By WILLIAM PETROSKI • bpetroski@dmreg.com •

May 21, 2008

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U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley on Tuesday asked federal officials for a tally of the costs of last week's immigration raid in Postville and similar enforcement actions in 2006 at Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in Marshalltown and five other Midwest cities.

"It is important that my constituents in Iowa and all U.S. taxpayers know how their tax dollars are being spent," the Waterloo Democrat said in a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary Julie Myers.

Tim Counts, a Midwest ICE spokesman, said it's not possible yet to calculate the costs for the Postville operation because it hasn't concluded. Counts also said he was not aware of any total costs calculated for the 2006 enforcement operations involving Swift plants.

Braley said it's important for federal immigration officials to be as transparent as possible when enforcement actions occur.

The congressman asked for a breakdown of ICE's expenses, including planning, execution, processing, detention and deportation costs. He also asked for the budgets of other cooperating agencies that assisted with the raids.

In the wake of the Postville raid, Braley said he supports an investigation into whether Agriprocessors Inc. violated workplace safety, child labor and immigration laws.








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