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Editorials: Policing immigrants

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It came with some relief Friday, capping a momentous week for immigrants, when Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole issued a statement saying that people will not be stopped and detained for being undocumented. This has long been the city’s position, and the chief picked a good time to reiterate it.

President Trump had just issued orders presuming to end birthright citizenship as understood under the 14th Amendment (immediately enjoined by a federal judge). ICE agents started to increase detentions on Sunday, starting in Texas and reportedly Chicago. Gov. Kim Reynolds commanded state law enforcement officials to cooperate with federal agents on raids.

“Our officers do not and will not stop individuals to inquire about immigration status, nor do we have access to systems that allow us to verify someone's legal status,” Cole said in a written statement. “While we prioritize public safety and fostering trust, we will continue, as we always have, to cooperate with our federal partners in cases involving wanted or violent individuals with valid criminal arrest warrants.”

Thomas Homan, the Trump Administration “border czar,” said Sunday on ABC News that the arrest of criminal suspects will be prioritized. In that event, he has no issue with local authorities. Storm Lake has never been a sanctuary city. Buena Vista County always has notified federal authorities when an undocumented immigrant is arrested for a crime. The problem is that authorities never showed up to get them — even in the first Trump term. Our resources are inadequate, no matter Homan’s previous bluster.

 

Changing standards

Members of a state advisory committee on science curriculum were surprised to learn that the phrases “climate change” and “evolution” were removed from their guidelines by the Iowa Department of Education. Instead, the standards refer to “climate trends” and “biological change over time.”

Teaches statewide sounded the alarm. A state spokeswoman tried to soften it: These are not required, local school boards set their curriculum; it’s not the final word until it is; and so on and so forth. In short, politics is being practiced here. The governor must show the right wing that progress toward 1955 is being made.

Our retired teacher friend asked her Storm Lake teacher friends about it, and they were not up on the state guidelines. That may be a good thing, so they can continue to use the word “evolution” in regards to the human species. Religious instruction can be had at St. Mary’s if you want the state subsidy. The Scopes Monkey Trial is still being argued in Iowa long after William Jennings Bryan was overcome by perspiration.

We would think that you were not supposed to dwell on the bird and the bees at the Elk Township School back in the good old days. Teachers found a way to talk about it. They did not teach hokum, either — when you burn oil, you pollute the air and that causes things to change, it is just plain common sense. In fact, our standards are lower than they were in 1955. We used to teach that we won the Civil War, and that slavery is evil. Such historical reference now may be banned as a “divisive concept” under state law.

Teachers will have to figure out a way around the politics and teach science and history, unfortunately at a risk of offense. We can only hope that local school boards are with them. These are ignorant times but we can get through them. It is a shame that Iowa has gone from exemplar in education to laughingstock at breakneck speed.

 

Muzzling watchdogs

Among the departed from President Trump’s Friday night massacre of 15 federal agency Inspectors General was Phyllis Fong,. President George W. Bush appointed Fong Inspector General of the USDA in 2002. Trump gave no reason for the firings, merely stating that it is “very common.” Fong’s tenure proves him wrong again. Trump fired them to appoint loyalists who will look away from certain waste, fraud and abuse.

Most recently, Fong launched an investigation over how a fatal listeria outbreak emanated from the Boar’s Head meat plant in Virginia. Before that, she called out long-standing civil rights violation at USDA dating back years. She had bipartisan support before she was fired.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was a champion of whistleblowers and government watchdogs like Fong. He said be believes in independence. Fong was fired against the law, having been appointed by the Senate. Grassley should correct this overreach. He is bound by his oath to defend the law. Somebody must.

Editorials, Art Cullen

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