Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

3/6/00 News Report -- Omaha World-Herald

A panel studying the impact of federal immigration policy in Nebraska has set what could be its final meeting before issuing a final report.

The 29-person task force, appointed by Gov. Mike Johanns in September, will meet at 1:30 p.m. March 15 at the Peter Kiewit Conference Center in Omaha, 1313 Farnam St.

The full task force will consider findings and recommendations from four subgroups, each of which addressed one question. The questions were:

Does Immigration and Naturalization Service enforcement belong in the workplace?

Do INS enforcement operations lead to improved working conditions for laborers?

How do INS enforcement operations affect Nebraska communities?

What are the effects of INS enforcement operations on Nebraska's livestock industry?

Lt. Gov. Dave Maurstad said the group, which includes industry representatives, immigrant advocates and lawmakers, has had a "good exchange of ideas on a pretty complex issue."

At the upcoming meeting, task force members will fashion a "fairly simple final report," said Milo Mumgaard, a panel member and executive director of the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest.

The impetus for the task force was Operation Vanguard, an INS crackdown on undocumented workers in the meatpacking industry that began last year in Nebraska and Iowa.

In addition to going to Johanns, the final report may also be forwarded to Nebraska's congressional delegation and to the INS.