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ANOKA COUNTY—Anoka County Sheriff, Gus DiCesari, and several Anoka County commissioners met to discuss funds on Feb. 11, 2010, but when the situation got heated, conversation turned from fiscal issues to immigrant issues.

DiCesari accused the county commissioners of “shortchanging” the county sheriff’s department to save money, saying “You’re putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy.” Sheriff DiCesari wanted eight new department vehicles and five new deputies, which would cost roughly 580-thousand dollars.

Commission President Anne Chenn said that the county does not have the money to buy new police cruisers and to hire five new deputies. Chenn stated that the county’s budget was $127 million and that $30 million had already been spent on a new prison to alleviate crowding. Also, the county had to spend more money due to the increased cost of fuel and health care Chenn said.

Supporting Sheriff DiCesari, Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne stated that the county should spend more on the sheriff’s department and law enforcement programs, rather than programs for migrant workers that simply come to the county to work.

After that statement, things got heated between Shenuski and Chenn; Shenuski then saying “We never had problems until we began letting migrants into this county to work. They are a problem for our law enforcement, our schools and our healthcare system.”

Chenn countered by saying, “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people being employed at jobs that local residents don’t want to do. They add a great deal to the economy and they pay taxes. You are being a hypocrite when you to blame those people for everything.”

Commissoner Jose Gardez , supporting Chenn, claimed that many of the migrant workers become permanent members of the county, opening businesses and eventually earning citizenship. And of the five-thousand migrant families in Anoka County, most work in agricultural, construction and service industry jobs.

Once the immigration argument was settled, Chenn told DiCesari that the sheriff’s department would have to make due for this year as the commissioners voted against the sheriff’s request 5-2.