Omaha officials: Local police won’t go out of way to find undocumented immigrants

OMAHA — The mayor and police chief of Nebraska’s biggest city signaled Monday that City of Omaha law enforcement officers will not “seek out” individuals to check on immigration status.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert speaks at City-County Building. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)

A city spokesperson said the Omaha Police Department’s stance is the same as stated in a 2017 letter to community members. That is, local police officers don’t and won’t seek out individuals to check their legal status, but a person committing a crime can be subject to the policies of federal agencies.

“In those instances, the Omaha Police Department will cooperate with our federal partners, only as outlined in our policies,” stated the letter signed by Mayor Jean Stothert and Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.

Stothert and Schmaderer have called a news conference for Tuesday to discuss immigration enforcement and OPD policy. The news conference was scheduled in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the country’s 47th president.

The new president Monday declared a national emergency at the southern border and has promised an immediate ramp-up of immigration enforcement.

Trump officials outline planned immigration crackdown

Trump representatives have said the biggest city in the Midwest, Chicago, will be “ground zero” for the mass deportations he made a key campaign theme.

Administration sources also have said the president plans a move to end asylum as well as birthright citizenship (for children of undocumented immigrants who were born in the U.S.), which is guaranteed in the 14th Amendment and affirmed in an 1898 U.S. Supreme Court case.

The alert from the Mayor’s Office calling for the Tuesday news conference said the city’s stance remains the same as when it issued the 2017 statement.

In that, the mayor and police chief said they had become aware of concerns in the community about federal immigration and deportation policies and the role of local law enforcement agencies.

They said they wanted to “assure” Omahans that it was not the mission or duty of local police to check legal status, and noted a department policy: “It is not within the jurisdiction of the OPD to determine whether an individual is an undocumented individual.”

The 2017 statement said, “Whether you are a victim of a crime or a witness to a crime, you can be confident you can seek help from our police department without fear. However, when any person commits a crime, he or she can be subject to the policies of federal agencies.”

The statement said public safety was top priority.

“We value our relationship with all community members as we make Omaha a safe place to live.”

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