OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It's the response we've heard across the board from OPD, DCSO, and Omaha Mayor John Ewing: the agencies were only tasked to assist ICE with traffic control and public safety.
- Omaha Mayor John Ewing said, “The Department of Homeland Security had alerted OPD that some sort of immigration action would occur today [Tuesday]. We had asked for that coordination after the recent incident at Early Bird.”
- DCSO and the Omaha police wanted to make it clear that they are not responsible for immigration enforcement, that is the role of federal authorities.
- Despite these statements, some neighbors shared with us a lack of trust following this federal raid.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Following a federal raid in south Omaha Tuesday local leaders are responding to how they were involved. It's the response we've heard across the board from Omaha police, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, and Omaha Mayor John Ewing: the agencies were only tasked to assist ICE with traffic control and public safety.
Mayor Ewing said in a statement:
“The Department of Homeland Security had alerted OPD that some sort of immigration action would occur today [Tuesday]. We had asked for that coordination after the recent incident at Early Bird.”
Last week, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer spoke on how the department assists with immigration enforcement:
“They will notify us of large-scale activities that they're gonna do. They may ask for traffic control, which we’ll provide, and also we are on task forces. And if there's a criminal warrant for somebody in addition to their undocumented status and they're dangerous, we do participate in that as well. So we are in the mix, but as a normal course of duty, we're not immigration enforcement officers, nor are we informed of individual arrests.”
Chief Schmaderer says this is and has always been department policy.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office told us in a statement that they were one of three agencies requested to respond:
“Specifically providing public safety — so, traffic safety, you know, ensuring the perimeter, safety of those around,” said Spencer Head, Executive Communications Coordinator with the DCSO.
DCSO and the Omaha police wanted to make it clear that they are not responsible for immigration enforcement, that is the role of federal authorities.
Despite these statements, some neighbors shared with us a lack of trust following this federal raid.
“People, people are already in hiding. I'm saying this because I was driving down 24th Street. There's not as many people. A lot of restaurants are closed, businesses are closed, so I'm seeing the people’s trust already shift from the law enforcement people already,” said Kevin Garrido.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, announced its national president will arrive in Omaha for an emergency visit today in response to this raid.
LULAC President Roman Palomares will meet with community stakeholders, legal advocates, and families directly impacted by Tuesday's events. He is also requesting to meet with Mayor Ewing and OPD Chief Todd Schmaderer.
