Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg agreed to do his own personal search of his emails, rather than be deposed for testimony by a top conservative government watch dog group “for records related to the creation of ID cards to help illegal aliens in South Bend, Indiana,” stated the organization Wednesday.

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit for Buttigieg’s emails in August, 2019. According to JW, he agreed to the search, in an effort to avoid being deposed and in response to the court order  issued by the judge, after the City of South Bend failed to respond as required by law to open records requests. The records request was for all emails between Buttigieg, members of his staff and officials of La Casa de Amistad, regarding the Community Resident Card program, Judicial Watch stated.

On Wednesday President-elect Joe Biden named Buttigieg his Transportation Secretary nominee.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said that the former South Bend Mayor was working to create ID cards for illegal aliens to help them stay in the country.

“This victory will help the public understand Mayor Buttigieg’s plan to create special ID cards to make it easier for illegal aliens to stay in the United States contrary to law,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It is curious that the mayor fought us for so long on this simple request for information.”

In August, 2019, when the lawsuit was filed by JW, Buttigieg’s spokesman Mark Bode, said “In 2016 Mayor Buttigieg helped jump-start the municipal ID program with a local nonprofit so that immigrants in our community could feel welcome and live without fear. Records related to the municipal ID are inaccessible by public records laws, as they are maintained by the nonprofit. We will continue to protect the well-being of all who live in our neighborhoods.”

In 2016, Buttigieg signed an executive order requiring city departments, such as police, fire and parks, to recognize the ID.

DOCUMENTS REQUESTED FROM THE JUDICIAL WATCH LAWSUIT

Judicial Watch initially sought a deposition of Buttigieg, but withdrew its request upon his agreement to search his personal email for the following records:

• Emails between Mayor Peter Buttigieg on any personal/private or non-South Bend email account and any of the below listed individuals from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017 containing the following terms: “Community Resident Card,” “CRC,” “Municipal ID,” “SB ID, ”Resident ID,” and/or Community ID.”
• Individuals:  Same Centellas, John Collins, Felix Bueno, Jr., Laura O’Sullivan, Tammy Bell, Genevieve Miller, Molly Buser, Cherri Peate, Scott Ruszkowski, Mark Bode, Eric Horvath, Jamie Morgan, Marcia I. Jones

Why is Judicial Watch is requesting the records?

On December 16, 2016, the South Bend Tribune reported that, “A nonprofit Latino advocacy group … unveiled a new identification card it hopes will make life easier for undocumented immigrants who live in [South Bend].” La Casa de Amistad Inc. are the creators of this “SB ID.” Buttigieg reportedly worked “closely with La Casa de Amistad, South Bend’s main Latino outreach center … and the nonprofit’s executive director, Sam Centellas,” to create a “Community Resident Card … created and distributed by the group — a private organization — not the city.” “Buttigieg’s part to make it all work was to sign an executive order requiring local services and institutions — like law enforcement, schools, the water utility and libraries — to accept the card as a valid form of identification.”

South Bend refused or ignored Judicial Watch APRA requests for multiple times between June 24, 2019, and July 18, 2019. Each time, South Bend said the requests were too broad and not “reasonably particular.” After each refusal, Judicial Watch would comply with South Bend’s suggestion to limit their request. After four exchanges, South Bend produced Mayor Buttigieg’s executive order and 2 information bulletins that were already publicly accessible.

JUDICIAL WATCH

You can follow Sara A. Carter on Parler @SaraCarterOfficial or on Twitter @SaraCarterDC