Immigration Issues in Iowa

Sharon Cohen of the Associated Press writes:

Everyone knew they were there, doing dirty and dangerous work in the massive meatpacking plant. They had come a long way — more than 1,000 miles, from impoverished rural Mexico to the lush corn country of the Midwest. Some folks looked the other way, others offered a helping hand.
Then federal agents swept through, and the complicated bargain that Marshalltown had made with illegal immigration was laid bare.

This town in the heart of middle America that has been transformed — even rejuvenated — by immigration stands as a symbol of the agonizing predicaments and pressures faced by many communities today.

“You’re caught in the middle,” says Mayor Gene Beach. “It’s a matter of enforcing the immigration laws while recognizing families are trying to improve their life. How do you balance that? Someone is going to be gored.”

In Marshalltown, that someone might be the meatpacking worker caught up in a raid. Or the soccer coach who harbored a secret. Or the police detective unable to solve the mystery of a Mexican man found dead on a busy road. Click here for the rest of the story.

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