“Our primary concern has always been ensuring the safety and security of Iowa’s families,” Braley said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. “That’s why, rather than just demagoguing on the issue, I traveled to Thomson on two separate occasions.”

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley

After it was announced that the Illinois facility, just across the Mississippi River from Clinton, was being considered as a possible U.S. holding site for Guantanamo detainees, Braley met with officials from the White House, Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. He also attended a town hall type meeting with the residents of Thomson and has spoke with elected officials from the portions of Iowa geographically closest to the proposed site.

“During all of those conversations, the people I spoke to, repeatedly assured me and the residents in the area that were committed to enhancing this maximum-security prison that already exists — a state-of-the-art facility — and making sure that it would be the most secure facility in America,” he said.

“If you look at the numbers, it is undeniable that it will have a tremendous economic impact on the communities surrounding the prison, many of which have high levels of unemployment, and would bring as much as a billion dollars to the area and create 3,000 jobs. That’s why I’m committed to continuing to work very closely with the White House, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and other appropriate agencies to make sure that my constituents’ interests and concerns about their security are strongly considered as the plan progresses.”

The facility, which has remained mostly vacant since it was opened in 2001 due to Illinois budget issues, is expected to house fewer than 100 terror detainees along with more than 1,000 other extremely dangerous federal prisoners. According to information provided by the White House, federal authorities would purchase the existing facility from Illinois, and several significant upgrades would be made prior to use. Specifically, a courtroom would be constructed on site as well as possible medical facilities. Braley said he is not yet aware of any appropriations figures before Congress in connection with the Thomson site.

While federal authorities can move forward with purchasing the facility, it cannot move detainees to the site unless a law passed earlier this year that prohibits transfer of those individuals to prisons on U.S. soil is either modified or rescinded. Authorities will also need to determine how they will deal with certain detainees deemed too dangerous for release, but lacking sufficient evidence for prosecution in either federal court or in military commissions.

“We have the capacity to make sure that we protect the citizens around these federal facilities, and that is why I believe the transfer of detainees to Thomson is a sound policy and good for the people I represent,” Braley said.

On a conference call just now, senior administration officials provided some details about their plan for detaining Guantanamo detainees at Illinois’ Thomson Correction Center, just across the Mississippi River from Iowa. The facility will be for a “limited number” of detainees, a senior administration official told reporters, for those “who would face trial [in] military commissions.” A different official clarified that “I think the plan would be to hold the military commissions at Thomson.”

But Thomson will not be a way station for out-processing Guantanamo Bay detainees back to their home countries. Nor will it house detainees who will face prosecutions in federal court — those detainees will be transferred the jurisdictions trying them.

Finally, a senior administration official said that while “notionally” it could house detainees for indefinite or preventive detention — the so-called “Fifth Category” of detainees who the administration contends cannot be tried in any forum nor responsibly released — the administration has not yet identified any detainees who fall into that category. Accordingly, neither official told reporters how many detainees at Guantanamo it had identified for transfer to Thomson, saying the process of review remains ongoing.

The Thomson Correctional Center, maximum-security prison built in 2001, is “virtually empty,” the first official said, but inside the prison, non-terrorism detainees will be held in segregation from the former Guantanamo inmates. While the facility is up to the security standards of the Florence, Colo. Supermax prison — with “dual-sided electric stun fencing,” outer and inner towers with armed guards, networked cameras and more –  the U.S. Defense Department will add “extra perimeter security” to make it “the most secure facility in the nation.” Ex-Guantanamo detainees will be allowed to communicate with their lawyers, the International Committee of the Red Cross and law enforcement officials — that is, no friends, and no family.

Finally, the officials couldn’t give a time frame for when the transfers ought to occur — and, accordingly, when Guantanamo will be closed. That will require “some change in law, and some funding, obviously, from Congress.” The officials said they were working with Congress — and particularly the Illinois delegation — to secure that additional money and legal authority, though they did not specify precisely which legal changes were necessary and sufficient for the transfer.

Spencer Ackerman is national security correspondent for The Washington Independent, a Center for Independent Media site.
]]> http://iowaindependent.com/23757/thomson-will-be-for-%e2%80%98limited%e2%80%99-number-of-detainees-awaiting-military-commissions/feed 0 http://iowaindependent.com/13116/king-receiving-tax-break-for-dc-residents-despite-living-in-iowa http://iowaindependent.com/13116/king-receiving-tax-break-for-dc-residents-despite-living-in-iowa#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:54:21 +0000 Jason Hancock http://iowaindependent.com/?p=13116

U.S. Rep. Steve King

Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, has been identified as one of four members of Congress who are improperly receiving a homestead tax deduction, according to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call.

The exemption allows people who own homes in Washington, D.C., to receive a $67,500 reduction on the assessed value of their home. The deduction also caps increases on the assessed value of homes at 10 percent above the previous year’s tax assessment. It is not supposed to be available to those who claim residency in another state even if they have a home in the District.

King, who bought a one-bedroom condominium in D.C. in 2005 for $325,000, told Roll Call he believes “the D.C. tax department made a mistake.” A King spokesman declined further comment to Roll Call.

In 2005, an investigation found that 22 senators were receiving the tax break. District officials blamed a computer glitch and have since audited the program to purge those unqualified to receive the tax break and collect back taxes owed.

At the time, several observers questioned how lawmakers could not know they were receiving the exemption since it is noted on the property tax bills homeowners receive twice a year, including a calculation of any savings.

Pete Sepp, spokesman for the National Taxpayers Union — a longtime King ally — told Roll Call that accepting the deduction amounts to “tax avoidance.”

“More than the law here is the appearance,” Sepp added. “Constituents already tend to feel that lawmakers spend too much time in Washington and not enough time at home, so how is this going to help improve that image?”

One group upset with King is supporters of allowing the nation’s capitol voting rights in the U.S. House. Earlier this month, the Iowa Republican helped stall a bill granting those rights by attaching an amendment gutting the city’s gun laws. District-based blog DCist chided King for his misstep.

King comes out looking worst of the bunch — not only is he seemingly cheating on his taxes, but he also helped stall the recent D.C. voting rights bill. Tsk tsk.

Others named in the Roll Call story were Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis.; Rep. Phil Gingrey R-Ga.; and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.

Update: Washington, D.C., officials confirmed King’s story.

Carlos Tzirin-Rodriguez, who was not originally detained in the May 12 immigration raid at the plant, was convicted of possessing a resident alien card that was not issued to him and knowingly possessing the identification of another person. The documents, according to court records, were used to gain employment at Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville and the site of the nation’s largest single-site immigration raid.

Tim Counts, midwest spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that Tzirin-Rodriguez was detained on April 15. Because Tzirin-Rodriquez remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing, Counts declined further comment in relation to the case.

In a plea agreement, Tzirin-Rodriguez admitted that he possessed a falsified resident alien card and used the identification of another person without consent. He also admitted to entering the United States on about April 1, 2006, at or near San Ysidro, Calif., with the aid of a smuggler.

Sentencing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Tzirin-Rodriguez faces up to 10 years in prison and a mandatory consecutive penalty of two years in prison for the charge of using the identification of another person. He also faces $200 in special assessments, and up to three years of supervised release following any prison term.

Roughly one month after Tzirin-Rodriguez was detained, federal agents stormed the Agriprocessors plant in Postville. A total of 389 workers were detained as a part of the immigration raid on May 12. Of those detained, 300 have made plea agreements on criminal charges and most are serving prison time before their ultimate deportation.

Two members of Agriprocessors middle management have been charged with aiding and abetting illegal workers, and have entered a “not guilty” plea. A third indictment for another plant supervisor remains sealed, pending that person’s arrest.

“What’s ironic is that [Agriprocessors] is currently being investigated, and there are two plant supervisors sitting in jail for encouraging people to use false identities,” Allen said. “Now the Agriprocessors’ PR firm believes it is acceptable to just take someone else’s identity and run with it. It is outrageous to say the least.”

Allen, founder of a movement to create ethical standards for the production of kosher food known as Hekhsher Tzedek and resident of St. Paul, Minn., is a prominent critic of Agriprocessors. The comments attributed to Allen were posted in response to writing on FailedMessiah.com, a Minnesota-based blog run by Shmarya Rosenberg that has taken a strict stance against the Rubashkin family, owners of Agriprocessors. The first comment featured Allen’s name, spelled incorrectly. The second was posted while the real Allen presided over his aunt’s funeral in Omaha, Neb.

“When I first learned of it, I was initially very concerned just about my own personal well-being to be honest with you,” Allen said. “If this is the level of behavior that is going on now — just taking people’s identities and using them — what would they do as the stakes were raised? Subsequently, being on vacation, I’m less worried about myself. But I’m still somewhat outraged that I’ve never received a formal apology or that Hekhsher Tzedek has never received a formal apology.”

When blog owner Rosenberg researched the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, or numerical identification assigned to computers when they connect to the internet, he learned that the person leaving the comments was logged on to a computer that was connected to the public relation firm’s network.

The firm in question — 5W Public Relations — was hired by Agriprocessors last month in an effort to stymie rising public sentiment against the company, especially within the Jewish community. The firm was recently heralded in a leading trade magazine as having a “BS-free approach,” and has an extensive client list that includes Fannie Mae, Pamela Anderson, Def Jam Interactive, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, Pastor John Hagee, the American Jewish Congress, the Christian Coalition, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Shalom TV, Christians United for Israel, and the American Bible Society.

Ronn Torossian, chief executive officer of 5W, acknowledges the incident occurred and points to corporate growing pains as a portion of the cause.

“… my [Internet Technology] Department investigated accusations which we have now learned to be true,” Torossian told Iowa Independent. “A senior staff member failed to be transparent in dealing with client matters. He has taken full responsibility. Growing companies often have problems in their expansion, and we continue to strive for the highest performance. We have instituted internal measures to ensure this cannot happen again. We continue to strive for the highest ethical standards.”

Torossian also expressed his firm’s determination to protect Jewish dietary laws, or kashrut.

“This battle is not about blogging,” he said. “It is, however, about protecting the highest levels of kashrut in the Jewish community. We, as a firm, feel personally and professionally passionate about these, and related issues. Critics of traditional Judaism have chosen to smear the largest provider of the highest kashrut meat in the world. We stand with protecting kashrut.”

Allen said he and the Hekhsher Tzedek organization, having already been in contact with an attorney, are just as determined to follow this incident to its conclusion.

“I do believe there will be some action taken,” Allen said. “I don’t know if that will be in the form of a suit, but we will definitely be in contact with 5W. … Instead of dealing with the message of Hekhsher Tzedek, which is a compelling message for many of us in the Jewish community who want to keep kosher and who want to ensure that the food we are buying is produced in a way that not only adheres to ritual but also ethical standards, Agriprocessors has decided that it is much easier to attack the messenger. I find that to be appalling.”

When originally notified of the fraudulent comments, representatives with 5W denied the allegations. Shortly thereafter, the comments were acknowledged, but the firm claimed they were made by an intern who had subsequently been fired. Only after further investigation proved some comments were posted from the firm’s offices and the home of a senior vice president, Juda Engelmayer, did Torossian admit the full episode.

In addition to the postings at FailedMessiah.com and other Jewish blogs, Engelmayer also used a home account to impersonate the grassroots Jewish organization Uri L’Tzedek on Essential Estrogen, the personal blog maintained by this reporter. The comment, made in response to an article detailing the indictment of two Agriprocessors’ supervisors, was the full text of the Uri L’Tzedek press release that lifted the group’s boycott on Rubashkin labels. The comment was posted nearly 10 hours after another thread had already announced the boycott being lifted.

Jim Fallon, a person to which Agriprocessors management had previously directed press inquiries, told Iowa Independent that his firm, CMA, had not done work for the company for nearly three weeks.

“CMA is not involved with any public relations activities involving Agriprocessors’ online presence,” Fallon wrote in e-mail. “Our role was to help the company communicate the activities and decisions made to enhance its immigration compliance in response to the ICE worksite enforcement action. We have not been engaged in any communications activities with Agriprocessors since July 1, 2008.”

Although Menachem Lubinsky, a spokesman for Agriprocessors and chief executive officer of the kosher industry consulting firm Lubicom, originally told The Jewish Forward that he expected 5W to deal with “negative publicity and blogs,” he had no such comments when contacted by Iowa Independent.

“My firm has been and is still doing public relations work for Agriprocessors, and we are the contact for media inquiries,” Lubinsky wrote in an e-mail. “On the subject of 5WPR, the company will have no further information on this subject.”

Rosenberg’s research into the IP addresses used to post comments on his blog indicates that at least 40 comments were made from computers on the 5W network. In addition to Allen, two other individuals known to that blogging community were impersonated.

In the kitchen, Sister Mary McCauley, pastoral administrator for the region, stands next to the table and begins emptying a tote bag of notebooks, papers and the mail she picked up from the post office. Her eyes play briefly across the small envelope before she flips it and uses a finger to break the seal. One by one, she opens the few pieces of handwritten mail. Any checks inside the envelopes are placed in a stack on the table. In addition to the donations, most envelopes also contain personal notes. Without fail, she pauses to read each one, often smiling while doing so.

The nearly four weeks since the May 12 federal immigration raid at Agriprocessors have been difficult for the small Postville parish, which boasts about 100 members.

“We had been hearing rumors that there might be an immigration raid for a few days,” Sister McCauley, who serves parishes in McGregor and Monona in addition to St. Bridget’s in Postville, said as she recounted the day of the raid. “About 10 o’clock that morning I got a call and was told that it was no longer just a rumor and that the helicopters were here. I came and went to plant, although it was all blocked off. I remember talking to the chief of police and telling him that when the families were worried and concerned, he should tell them that they could come and connect with one another at the church. Well, as it turns out, they came and connected for six days.”

Although Sister McCauley laughed at the end of the statement, the initial situation, just in terms of physical space, was nearly overwhelming for the church.

“We have this little office here,” she said. “I thought we could allow people to come, see their friends, communicate with one another and answer a few questions. We had about 400 people here that first night.”

Many of those who came to the church were Guatemalan women and their children. The vast majority of those detained on possible immigration violations were men who served as their family’s backbone. The men and 48 women in federal custody had already been relocated to the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, more than an hour away by car.

“At first we just said, ‘Wow! What’s going on here?’ Then we realized that this was really needed,” she said. “The women, in particular, needed a place where they could let their anxiety level lower and be with people they knew. Many of the Guatemalan women had never been alone like that. They came with their little children, and they worried what they would do if one became sick. Their husbands had always been the family member that interacted within the community in those situations. So they had to be with one another, and we knew that being together would finally empower them to get back to their apartments.

“Each day we would kind of say: ‘We’ve been together. We’ve played together. We’ve prayed together. We’ve been nourished together. You are getting stronger. ICE is gone. You can do it.’ As we saw them gaining more and more strength from one another, we would talk to some of the community leaders and let them know that if they took steps to leave the church and get back into their own homes, the others would follow their example.”

When those taking refuge in the church did return to their own homes, the church and its congregation knew its role had changed, but was not complete.

“That first week? I refer to it as sandbagging,” Sister McCauley said. “The river was overflowing and we had to make an immediate response, which was food, shelter and presence. Then the river was beginning to lower, but things had been destroyed. Lives had been shattered. We still had a lot of cleanup to do.”

“Cleanup” has been an administrative response that includes financial, medical and legal assistance, as well as continuing to be a “compassionate presence” within the community. Last week the church hosted a legal clinic that provided residents access to about 15 immigration attorneys. Those who wished to speak to an attorney were given opportunity for private discussions that Sister McCauley hopes provided the people of Postville some direction as they move forward. The most pressing need, however, remains monetary.

“I’m here today and I was here every afternoon last week … approving bills for payment,” she said. “If someone comes to me with a rent or a utility bill — first of all, we’ve done intake interviews, so we know the status of the family and any money that might be coming in. For most of the families that amount is is absolutely zero. There has to be a decision on how much of a rent bill, for instance, we can pay. Rent bills range from $400 to $1,000.”

Sister McCauley’s eyes turned again to the pile of roughly 10 personal checks on the table. The church is currently helping about 120 people, but volunteers are well aware that there are others within the community that have not yet come for assistance. As news and pictures of the immigration raid have faded from the headlines, donations have dwindled.

“If you take the rent amounts and multiply them by the 120 we are serving, you can see that what we take in doesn’t go very far,” she said. “The current need is just tremendous, and we know that there will be future needs for legal assistance and other items like that.”

Sister McCauley said she’s been asked many times how the raid and its aftermath have affected the community and the congregation.

“I’ve thought about it and there are two words that describe it. This has shattered us, and it has strengthened us,” she said. When she opened her mouth to continue, at first no words came. Her eyes filled with tears, and she apologized as she reached into her pocket for a well-worn tissue. Her voice was soft but also resolute when she continued.

“When I say ’shattered,’ I mean that it shattered the families. It shattered the children who were running around and asking, ‘Where is my mother?’ or ‘Where is my father?’ Then there are the poor mothers who are left to care for their children. What is she going to do? How is she going to get back to Mexico? She doesn’t have any money. Should she go back? Should she remain? She is wondering how long her husband is going to be in jail. So, they are shattered, they are afraid, and they are filled with anxiety.

“At the same time, they have found strength and love, and they are giving it to one another. Our St. Bridget’s community and the Postville community and, really, the entire United States community have given strength. When we receive a letter, for example, from Los Angeles, that says that the writer is praying for us, with us, supporting us and concerned about us, then we know that we can go on another day.”

Readers wanting to contact the church should address mail to: St. Bridget’s Hispanic Ministry, St. Bridget’s Church, P.O. Box 369, Postville, IA 52162. Any donation checks should be made out to St. Bridget’s Hispanic Ministry.