GREELEY, Colo.—Immigrant advocates should not worry about a spike in enforcement because of the addition of an office in Greeley, the lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said Wednesday.
Denver ICE Special Agent in Charge Kumar Kibble acknowledged that creating the office has been a sensitive issue among the Hispanic community in the northern Colorado city but said “everyone should realize, immigration is half our mission.”
“The local immigrant communities, the advocacy groups should not expect some sort of drastic increase in our immigration-related operations,” he said.
Investigators at the office will also be focusing on terrorism threats, the importing of illegal pharmaceuticals, human smuggling, and money laundering among other cases, Kibble said.
The office, first proposed in 2005, has been operational for a month, but officials held a ceremony Wednesday to announce it to the public.
Immigration advocates have opposed the office since the idea was announced, saying it would increase racial tensions and lead to profiling in a city that is one-third Hispanic. Greeley was also the site of a federal immigration raid on the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant on Dec. 12, 2006, in which more than 260 people were detained.
Hispanic activists who opposed the office said it is unnecessary and that it would further strain the city’s relationship with its immigrant community.
Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, who was among the leaders advocating for the ICE office, said the comments in the past from opponents that it would lead to racial profiling were “offensive.”
“I can also say to the community that the idea that we will have some sort of unconstitutional conduct in our community is absolute nonsense. There are no greater advocates for constitutional conduct than law enforcement,” said Buck, who has became known for his tough stance on immigration enforcement during his tenure as prosecutor.
The Republican is now running for U.S. Senate.
Before Greeley opened, the ICE office for the area was located in Brush, about 55 miles southeast of the city. Other ICE offices in the state are located in Denver, Grand Junction and Pueblo.
