ICE's silence killed Yakima office project

This editorial appears in the March 4, 2010, Yakima Herald-Republic.

Plans for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Yakima were derailed before federal officials announced Tuesday that budget restraints forced them to sideline the project.

The fault lies more in how the plans were presented than in the proposal itself. It was a public relations flop. Failure by federal officials to be open and upfront with the public led to rumors, rancor and distrust. Immigration officials couldn't even take the time to show up and testify at a three-hour hearing last Friday to consider a proposed site off Washington Avenue.

While federal authorities were absent, residents and business owners in the area were not, and leveled their criticism at possible traffic congestion and fear that those placed on an immigration hold could present a flight risk.

The proposed site on Presson Place -- a dead-end street -- is situated in an industrial area with a mobile home park nearby. Federal officials wanted to bring together two separate ICE operations responsible for investigation and detention of illegal immigrations under one roof. Plans offered a parking area for 135 vehicles and would have provided office space for 41 employees who would work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

What rankled residents in the area were the temporary holding cells for immigration detainees. Some feared the worst and imagined the facility turning into a small jail facility.

This was never the case, but ICE officials couldn't stop the rumor mill from turning what amounted to a leased office building into a miniprison.

But rumors are bound to take hold when no one is around to dispel them. It would have been nice to see a federal face associated with the project. Phone calls from officials in Seattle don't cut it. Residents and business owners in the area had a right to feel upset.

Immigration authorities have long hid behind a veil of secrecy. Sometimes it's warranted, but not when it comes to a public process such as securing a zoning variance.

We have no issue with the desire to centralize ICE operations in a Yakima office complex. That makes sense. But next time, when given the green light, be open and approachable. Don't make matters worse by being a silent partner.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.