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The police department of Chisago County is asking the County Commission for additional spending money to spend on new equipment and personnel.  According to county commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne, “The county does not have the money to buy new police cruisers and hire five new sheriffs’ deputies.” Shenuski and Laybourne blame immigrants on the shortage of the police department’s spending money.  Migrants take away from jobs, schools and the health care system. Migrant workers often for little pay, and do the toughest labor that most Americans would rather not.

But Commissioner President Anne Chenn disagrees. “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people being employed at jobs that local residents don’t want to do.” Migrant workers do the work that Americans think they are too good for, so whose fault is it really? Chenn thinks alternatives for the police station  is the better solution instead of blaming immigrants. Instead of the officers driving their police cars home, they could leave them at the station which hopefully save on mileage and make cars more available to other officers.  Sheriff Gus DiCesari   countered with a valid point, “Letting the deputies drive their cruisers home and parking them in their neighborhoods is a deterrent to crime.”

In the end, the County Commission turned down the police stations proposal for more money with a 5-to-2 vote.