Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. criticizes worksite raids as Gov. Jim Pillen supports Trump actions

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a day ago

Roger Garcia, Douglas County Board chair, and Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. attend a press conference held Wednesday to call attention to the city's reaction to Tuesday's immigration enforcement in Omaha. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA — Putting a face on the personal toll of worksite immigration raids, Douglas County Board Chair Roger Garcia on Wednesday shared that his own family member was among the nearly 80 people detained in Tuesday's high-profile federal operation.
Garcia said his wife's aunt, a mother of three, was among those still being held by federal authorities and battling against deportation following the raid at Omaha's Glenn Valley Foods plant. So were moms of a couple of college friends, he said.
Both Garcia and his wife, Yanira, are elected officials and community leaders. Yanira is an Omaha representative on the Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority Board.
Of their detained family member, Garcia said she has lived in the area for decades and was raising a family here with her husband.
'She's contributed back to the Omaha community and economy,' he said. 'We can assure you she was not involved in any high-level criminal activity.'
Garcia was among local officials who spoke at a news conference the day after federal agents led the largest Nebraska immigration enforcement operation since President Donald Trump took office after Trump pledged massive deportations and a crackdown on immigration.
Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. — who was sworn into office Monday night — said he 'certainly' does not support worksite immigration raids in the city he was elected to lead. He defeated three-term Republican Mayor Jean Stothert.
Ewing said he has no influence, however, over whether or how such immigration enforcement is carried out.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said he received 'extremely general' information about 10 days ago that an enforcement activity was ahead. He said Omaha police on Tuesday offered only traffic enforcement assistance.
'We're hoping that it doesn't happen, obviously, because of the chaos it creates in this community,' said Ewing, a former Omaha police commander who most recently was Douglas County treasurer, explaining his perspective.
Some South Omaha businesses still had their doors closed Wednesday. A community center canceled youth soccer practice. Ewing thanked organizations for efforts helping families and children affected.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released its own statement decrying 'reckless rhetoric being thrown around' and describing a different scenario, including a 'threat' during the raid by a worker with a box cutter. It also released video from the raid.
A statement from acting ICE director Todd Lyons said a Honduras native during the Tuesday raid 'brandished a weapon and assaulted federal agents and officers who were doing their job.'
'Let's be clear — this wasn't just someone 'out of status,'' Lyons said. 'This was a violent criminal who attacked law enforcement while they were serving the public…'
Federal immigration raid hits Omaha plant
An ICE spokeswoman said no agent was hurt in the operation that led to the detention of 76 people. ICE characterized the raid as successful and said some of those detained had active local warrants, prior DUI convictions or had been previously deported.
'Many now may face additional federal charges: fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents; assaulting a federal officer; resisting arrest; illegal reentry; and/or misuse of Social Security numbers,' the statement said.
Worksite enforcement is a priority, ICE said, as the government seeks to 'protect the nation's workforce, eradicate labor trafficking and hold employers accountable for practices that encourage illegal immigration.'
Involved in the Omaha crackdown, according to ICE, were the Nebraska State Patrol, Nebraska Department of Vehicles (driver and vehicle records fraud investigation unit) as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Mexican Consul Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes told the Nebraska Examiner that about 40 of those detained are Mexico natives — mostly men — and that his staff has started talking to each. He said he believed some were being held in the ICE facility near the Omaha airport and that he thought some might eventually be taken to a Pottawattamie County facility.
As of mid-day Wednesday, two had decided to voluntarily deport and were to be returned to Mexico, Espejel said, adding that as far as he knows, the Mexican workers were being treated okay.
Some of those held, he said, had permission to be in the U.S. and will fight deportation with legal assistance from the Consul and community groups. Espejel said a next step is to contact Glenn Valley Foods, as the workers were owed pay.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen also released a statement Wednesday, saying he supported 'the work of our federal partners' and backed Trump's efforts. He pointed blame at the Biden administration.
'The country's immigration policy absolutely failed the American people for four years,' Pillen said. 'We have to address the issue of illegal immigration, and I support the work of our federal partners to ensure that the law is followed.'
Asked about the conflicting responses, Ewing said he had not read Pillen's statement nor had he talked to him about the immigration raid. He said he would try to work with Pillen as he has with other elected leaders.
'But we are going to look at what we believe is best for the people of Omaha,' Ewing said.
We're hoping that it doesn't happen, obviously, because of the chaos it creates in this community.
– Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., on worksite raids
He and the police chief reiterated that Omaha police would not as a normal course of business ask someone for proof of immigration status. They said that is not the role of local police, and that they want to encourage trust and a climate in which people will report crimes and participate with law enforcement.
Garcia said he, as head of the Douglas County Board, was not provided notice that immigration enforcement activity was coming. Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson has said that he knew several days prior. Garcia said that information was not conveyed to him.
Ewing said he did not know or want to speculate on why federal officials targeted Omaha. The raid came as the city prepares for the launch this week of one of its biggest national tourist attractions: the College World Series baseball tournament.
'I don't know why,' he said. 'I can speculate, which I don't do.'
Garcia said he was unsure as well. But in an interview Wednesday morning with MSNBC, he noted it happened just as the city's Democratic and first elected Black mayor took the helm of the city. The interviewer noted that Omaha was a blue enclave in a red state. Garcia also noted he was the first Latino Douglas County commissioner.
Among those attending Ewing's news conference were members of LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, described as the nation's largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization.
LULAC national spokesman David Cruz said the group was headed to Washington, D.C. after its Omaha visit and asked what message Ewing would want delivered.
Ewing said he'd like a comprehensive immigration policy that 'actually works.' He said he does not want 'soft-on-crime' measures, but prefers a 'humanitarian' approach. He said current policies have led to fear.
'Do something that helps hardworking people in these communities be able to have an opportunity to become citizens of this country,' he said. 'They are contributing to our cities. They are contributing to our state and to our nation.'
Others spoke during the press conference as well, including Danny Begley of the Omaha City Council, City Human Rights and Relations Director Cailin Daly Dejillas and Community Relations and Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Rodriguez. Most of the event was presented in Spanish as well as English.
Garcia, in sharing that his family member was arrested, said he wanted to provide an 'honest narrative' of community impact.
At last check, the aunt, in her mid 40s, was detained at the ICE facility near Eppley Airfield. Her husband and children, the youngest still a minor, are worried and seeking legal advice.
Yanira Garcia described her mom's younger sister as a 'happy spirit' who makes a cake or Jell-O for family get-togethers. She crocheted an outfit for the Garcias' two daughters when each was born.
It's not that she hasn't tried to adjust her immigration status, said Yanira. Petitioning for a Mexican relative to become a legal resident is a lengthy process, and Yanira said her aunt's U.S. citizen sisters and mother began that petition process 20 years ago.
'The immigration process and laws are very complicated, especially for Mexican citizens,' she said.
Roger Garcia said he wants to work with law enforcement to tackle 'high-level crimes' and to keep the community safe 'while also having a heart' for working undocumented immigrants.
Rumors continued to circulate on Wednesday, with social media users sharing posts about what they believed were new immigration enforcement activity and related information. In several cases, a reporter checked out the information and found it to be untrue.
Many have expressed concerns about undocumented immigrant workers who allegedly used stolen identities to get jobs. To that, Lina Traslaviña Stover of the Heartland Workers Center said, 'Let due process take care of those individuals.'
Her nonprofit continued Wednesday to distribute 'Know Your Rights' packets, expanding the effort more to cities including Schuyler, Fremont and Nebraska City. Stover said many immigrants statewide are staying close to home, 'which affects the entire economy.'
Said Garcia: 'The reverberations that have come across the community instill fear and anxiety, as we don't know if these kinds of activities will continue.'
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