Thread: Council decides not to enter fray over ICE office

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Council decides not to enter fray over immigration office

GREELEY - Opposing sides were satisfied with a non-committal decision by the city council Tuesday on whether to endorse a plan to bring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency office to their city.

The council decided not to get involved in the process.

"It would be kind of like us giving a resolution to someone and saying, `We're sick and tired of this high price of gas, so lower it,"' Mayor Tom Selders told the Greeley Tribune after the packed meeting. "Why would we do something like that? It would have absolutely no bearing."

An overflow crowd waited outside the meeting for the council's decision.

"They're just not going to touch the subject, and that's what we want," said Sylvia Martinez, a leader of Latinos Unidos that opposes the office.

A resolution passed by Weld County commissioners in October that said in part an "ICE" office was needed to help lower the crime rate caused by illegal immigrants angered people who said such a move could lead to racial profiling and harassment by authorities.

Weld District Attorney Ken Buck, who is lobbying for the office, also said he was happy with the council's decision and will advise federal officials. Colorado Rep. Marilyn Musgrave and Sen. Wayne Allard, both Republicans, have written letters in support of the office.

Buck said he hoped an "ICE" office would open in Greeley sometime in 2006.

The federal government will make the final decision of whether to put an ICE office in the area. There is no indication of when a decision will be made.

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Immigration proposal stirring racial tensions

GREELEY - Police are investigating a couple disturbing messages left over the weekend on the answering machine of a group called "Latinos Unidos."

One caller said "You guys are full of (bleep)." Another said "This is America - speak English. Get off your dead asses and become Americans, not Mexicans. You people make it hard on yourselves by just the crap you're pulling right now."

Susanne Villarreal of Latinos Unidos says the messages are sickening. "It's very disturbing and hurts me deeply to know that we have that segment of population here in Greeley."

Latinos Unidos is opposing efforts to establish an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Greeley. The group says the effort is causing racial tension. "The only real result has been that it has served to polarize and divide this community at a level I have never seen since I have been here, and that's been at least 25 years," says Roberto Cordova.

Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck is pushing the idea of an ICE office. He says it would speed deportations, saving the county money and reducing crime.

"The vast majority of the illegal immigrants in our jail do not get deported," says Buck. "They get put back on the streets of Weld County.

Buck says at least 10 percent of the prisoners in the Weld County Jail are in the U.S. illegally.

"If we could get rid of some of the criminals we have in Weld County we could save lives," says Buck. "We have a number of people who have committed several DUI's in Weld County and then vehicular homicide, or a murder."

Latinos make up about 35 percent of Weld County's population. Members of Latinos Unidos say they often do not feel accepted in the community, and they fear having an ICE office in Greeley will make matters worse.

"I think you're going to see violations of civil rights," says Susanne Villarreal. "You're going to see profiling."

The Greeley City Council is expected to vote Tuesday night on whether to endorse the idea of opening an ICE office in the city. Regardless of the vote, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no plans to open another office in Greeley anytime soon. The federal agency says that decision is based on operational requirements and the availability of funding. ICE currently has offices in Denver and Brush, which are along major interstate highways.

This is why having a state operated or authorized prison bus service to take illegals to ICE would be so useful.

The municipalities do not have enough call for it by themselves but collectively the us would be active serving the collective municipalities every day.