Letter to the Editor - The Separation Ordinance

Without your donation, some stories vanish. Support Decorah News. Dear Editor, I am writing to thank the Decorah Human Rights Commission for placing the Separation Ordinance on their April 2 agenda. When I attended a deportation defense training in 2024 with Mijente, a Latinx and Chicanx-led justice organization, the data they shared indicated that Trump's deportation machine would target jails before workplaces. That meant organizing around workplaces alone would not be enough; the administration's strategy was to turn even a minor encounter with local law enforcement into a deportation case. Two years later, that has proven particularly true in Iowa, where 85% of ICE arrests happen at local jails. Supporting those who are arrested and/or held in jail must be a priority in our community's deportation defense. The Separation Ordinance—advocated by Decorah Community for Immigrant Rights—closes that dangerous loophole by drawing a legal line between ICE and local police. It would require that any ICE interview be genuinely voluntary with written consent in a language the person understands, and ensure our local officers focus on public safety, not federal immigration enforcement. I'm grateful to the commission for putting this on the agenda, and I hope community members come this Thursday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. to listen, learn and advocate for this ordinance. Signed,Rachael Button, rural Decorah Speak up for what matters most to you—share your views through a letter to the editor.