Meghan Youker
FREMONT (KPTM) - It may be a federal problem, but Fremont leaders say something can be done locally about illegal immigration.
More than two dozen people are part of a task force looking at how the community can address the issue. Leaders say progress has already been made.
Members realize the topic is emotional and controversial. "It's not an us versus them or a brown, black or white issue. It's just a human issue," said task force co-chairman Bill Ekeler.
Fremont's mayor put the group together after an ordinance to ban hiring and renting to illegal immigrants failed in the city council. Skip Edwards cast the deciding no vote because attorneys told him the proposal wouldn't stand up in court. "I'm interested in doing something that's within the law and where we can make some progress and identify the real issues that we have out there and then move forward," Edwards said.
Task force members held a meeting Tuesday to build relationships. Federal directors with Immigration and Customs Enforcement spoke with the Fremont Police Chief, Dodge County Sheriff and Dodge County Attorney, as well as others, about ways to improve communication.
Task force leaders say in the past the process for reporting suspected illegal immigrants has been inconsistent and ineffective. "There's a framework with the federal, state and local governments and where our authority comes in at and that's what we accomplished today by bringing all the players together," Edwards said.
Task force leaders say what's happening in Washington is more rhetoric than action. They hope to come up with tangible solutions that can serve as a model for others. "I think that's what lacking at the federal level is a lot of the real specifics and hopefully we'll help develop some specifics out of this," Ekeler said.
Leaders insist the effort isn't about riding the community of its Hispanic population. They say the task force is diverse. Half the group is Fremont residents and it includes Hispanic leaders.
The task force hopes to come up with several new recommendations to take to the City Council.
