The head of the state agency that failed to notify Gov. Kelly Ayotte about communication with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on plans for a proposed immigrant detention center in Merrimack, N.H., has resigned.
Sarah Stewart has served as commissioner of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources since June 2018.
NHPR reports that Ayotte had requested Stewart resign, which went into effect this past Monday.
I value transparency; therefore, there should be clear communication between the agencies and among officials. I do question the lack of said communication in this case, as it does not make sense to me and leaves me wondering why this was not properly conveyed and if there is malicious intent behind this.
I already feel uncomfortable with ICE detention facilities existing, let alone in our home state. With that, I cannot help but wonder if the lack of effective communication refers to outside issues. For instance, whether the facilities should even exist in the first place given the great deal of suspicion around them.
According to NHPR, “The announcement from the governor’s office comes after Stewart received sharp criticism last week from Ayotte and members of the Executive Council about her agency’s failure to alert Ayotte or other state officials about documents submitted Jan. 12 from the federal Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, about potential protected land impacts of a warehouse in Merrimack to be used for immigrant detention. Ayotte called for a review of the incident by the attorney general’s office.”
I am extremely bothered by the proposal of an ICE detention center. I also question whether this was worth being fired over, unless Stewart has been a repeat offender with her lack of adequate communication.
“It’s important to me that the commissioners communicate, and this was a serious lapse of communication,’ she said,’’ according to NHPR.
Though my values and morals go against building ICE facilities, I do agree that state agencies and the Governor need to be in clear communication at all times, so I see where Ayotte may be coming from.
NHPR reports, “In a joint statement, the five-member Executive Council said the case raised serious concerns about supervisory oversight: “The Executive Council will continue to demand accountability and transparency from all executive agencies and departments on behalf of the people of New Hampshire. The public has a right to expect that state government operates with the highest standards and that matters of significant policy importance are communicated promptly and appropriately.”
I would agree that this case raises concerns regarding supervisory oversight. If our government and agencies are not communicating properly, this puts everyone at risk. As a member of the general public and someone who currently lives in New Hampshire, I believe I have the right to expect that the state government is operating in a manner where policies are being discussed thoroughly. “The documents showing that officials in Stewart’s department knew of the proposed ICE facility were first revealed through a right-to-know request by the ACLU of New Hampshire. ICE submitted the documents to the state Division of Historical Resources, which is part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources,” reported NHPR.
Ultimately, I will stand on the fact that there is no excuse for a lack of communication, and if I were governor, I probably would have made the same decision. It is incredibly difficult to have tolerance for any sort of lack of communication. When you hold a position of power, you need to be speaking with and conveying information to those around you at all times to best serve the public.
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