Is Immigrations and Custom Enforcement currently in Española or aren’t they? That’s a question on the minds of many in light of the recent crackdowns and arrests in other states.
Española Police Chief and interim city manager Mizel Garcia said in a telephone interview that he is unaware of any Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the city this month to arrest people suspected of violating immigration law.
“No, as far as I do know, they were in Española in the last few months, I believe, once,” he said.
The Española Police Department does work with federal agencies based on directives it receives from the New Mexico Department of Justice.
“What we do is, if a law enforcement officer responds, or an agency, for assistance that something is going on, we will help,” Garcia said. “But we are not in any way directly involved in any type of immigration activities.”
Scrutiny of the actions of ICE officers grew this week after a Border Patrol Agent shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota during a protest.
Reports of ICE activity within the city of Española have been posted on Facebook and other social media sites. The latest post appeared on Jan. 16 in the Española Voices Speak UP Faacebook group. The video appeared to show an unmarked silver law enforcement vehicle stopped in front of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers at 1408 N. Riverside Drive near Walmart.
The woman who posted the content could not be reached for comment for this story due to having incoming messages blocked on her profile.
Garcia said he is not a “social media person,” but members of the public have sent him photos of unmarked law enforcement vehicles in the city. He recently received a message containing photos with unmarked silver vehicles, but said they were not ICE officers.
“Someone sent me a picture of a couple of gray vehicles that they were ICE,” he said. “They were actually HSI (Homeland Security Investigations), and we work a lot with HSI on criminal investigations.”
HSI is a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but is distinct from Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
According to its website, HSI plays “a crucial role in investigating crimes of exploitation,” including child exploitation, human trafficking, financial and cyber crime, drug smuggling and more. They operate from 90 offices across 50 countries.
Garcia said he was contacted ahead of time regarding the HSI operation.
EPD routinely works with other federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There is one officer assigned to an FBI task force, he said.
ICE activity has been reported in other parts of New Mexico, with arrests happening in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
People are also being held in New Mexico jails after being arrested by ICE in other states.
A Jan. 22 Source NM article reported that dozens of immigrants arrested in Minneapolis were sent to the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia.
A bill aiming to protect immigrant rights and stop these types of agreements is making its way through the State Legislature.
The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee passed House Bill 9, the Immigrant Safety Act.
The proposed bill states that it would prohibit “public bodies from entering into agreements used to detain individuals for federal civil immigration violations and requiring public bodies to terminate any such existing agreements.”