Thread: AZ-Flagstaff refuses to rent space to immigration agents

Flagstaff refuses to rent space to immigration agents
By Joe Ferguson

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.02.2009
Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will won't be renting an office from the city of Flagstaff when they set up shop in Flagstaff soon.
City Manager Kevin Burke issued a memo on Monday stating that because of a public perception problem, the city would not allow the federal agency to set up its offices inside the city-owned portion Law Enforcement Administrative Facility.
ICE spokesperson Vincent Picard said the decision would not influence his agency's plans for northern Arizona.
"We will continue seeking a temporary venue until a permanent one is found," he said.
One of the reasons Burke gave for denying ICE office space was a concern over the message that housing ICE in a city-owned building would send. Last week, community members opposed to ICE said illegal immigrants are reluctant to report crimes, fearing they may be deported.
"Co-locating this office in the LEAF building would impact some of our day-to-day public safety operations. If victims and witnesses of crimes are not coming to the LEAF building because they know ICE offices in the building, this is a problem. If they are not reporting the crimes to the Flagstaff Police Department because they think we are one-and-the-same due to a co-located office, this impacts our public safety," Burke wrote.
Both Police Chief Brent Cooper and Burke said last week during a presentation by ICE officials at city council meeting that immigration status is not relevant when reporting a crime.
He downplayed the decision to deny office space to ICE, noting the federal agency was only looking for temporary offices at the city and had begun looking for a more permanent location somewhere inside the city limits.
ICE did have offices at the LEAF building for six months to house a special task force operation in 2006.
The city manager also said opponents and supporters of ICE used scare tactics during last week's meeting in an attempt to garner Council support.
"ICE talks about the very fearful safety implications that come with narcotics, weapons, cash and human smuggling. I have no reason to doubt these are real effects, but certainly they were highlighting the most drastic aspects of their work," he wrote. "The audience, on the flip side, also engaged in generating fear by telling of stories of residents afraid to get food and children being torn from their parents or visa versa."
He said the debate between the two groups muddled the real reason the agency wanted to establish an office in Flagstaff: The Office of Investigation is more focused on criminal investigations, where they're targeting drug smuggling organizations, human smuggling investigations and child pornographers. That office was not part of the ICE's detention and removal division, which was responsible for the 16 arrests in Flagstaff last November.
The Arizona Civil Liberties Union filed suit against ICE seeking documents generated after the raids following reports that ICE violated due process rights of immigrants and residents of northern Arizona.
"I believe the public, in general, does not make a distinction between the various branches of law enforcement, and certainly does not recognize the distinction of different divisions within ICE," Burke said.
Burke also had some concerns that community members would want ICE to be held accountable for its actions if located in a city building, something Burke said was impossible.
"I understand this desire, but as I think about how that accountability will work, we would be setting ourselves up for failure. ICE is a federal agency with no reporting requirements to the local jurisdiction," he wrote.
Mayor Sara Presler, when asked for comment, said she agreed with Burke's reasoning in denying ICE city-owned-space.
The mayor and council were evenly split last week over whether to lease city-owned space to ICE.
One place ICE will not be going is into is the other half of the LEAF building, owned by Coconino County.
Coconino County Sheriff Bill Pribil said while he has never received a formal request from ICE for an office in the LEAF building, he knows that he doesn't have the space to accommodate any new agency.
He said his side of building has been full since moving in in 2001.
"The reality is we have never been in a position to offer space to anybody," Pribil said.
Joe Ferguson can be reached at jferguson@azdailysun.com.
13 Comments on this story



http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/295370.php

One of the reasons Burke gave for denying ICE office space was a concern over the message that housing ICE in a city-owned building would send.

And what message would that be? THE RIGHT message? The LEGAL message?

When ICE IS established lets hope they start checking out the city of Flagstaff, starting with Town Manager Kevin Burke! Perhaps HE has something to hide?

"The audience, on the flip side, also engaged in generating fear by telling of stories of residents afraid to get food and children being torn from their parents or visa versa."

The reporter wording it "The audience" gives the impression everyone there is of one mind and as for children being torn from their parents if they broke the law then did not take responsibility for their actions and left their own children behind do not blame us.

Where are the citizens and their outrage??

wow what a shock to see the ACLU filing another lawsuit

Originally Posted by jamesw62

wow what a shock to see the ACLU filing another lawsuit

Even the ACLU will run out of money soon, I can't wait!

miguelina wrote:

Even the ACLU will run out of money soon, I can't wait!

I've been thinking that for years but the large number of liberal courts in this country seems to keep them in business.