Fallout on Postville

Bill Hing has kept us up to date on the immigrtaion raid in Postville, Iowa.  NPR’s All Things Considered had a report yesterday about the largest single-facility immigration raid in U.S. history. Last week, ICE and other federal agencies raided Agriprocessors Inc.’s Postville, Iowa slaughterhouse. Approximately 700 employees were detained or being sought for arrest. Because Postville is basically a company town, this amounted to about 10% of the towns’ population. Most of the employees–who were allegedly undocumented, as well as some allegations of criminal activity–were being detained at a local fairgrounds. Hat tip to Jeffrey Hirsch of the Workplace Law Prof Blog!

Today, Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR) released a powerful video of interviews of Postville residents who have been impacted by the immigration raids and called on elected officials and the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to adopt a new approach to immigration policy based on respect for immigrant families and the human dignity of all people. This call comes on the heels of the recent raid at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville. One of the people in the video, Sister Mary McCauley of St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Postville, spoke of the heartbreaking separation of children and their parents. When she asked a young boy named Pedro why he was sad, he responded, “They took my mother away.” She also noted that ICE justified its raid by saying they were upholding the integrity of the law. “My concern is, as they held up the law, they totally neglected the integrity of the person and the integrity of the family as families broke apart.” CCIR calls for a new and comprehensive approach to immigration issues in our country – an approach that bypasses persecution and raids in favor of emphasizing the common dignity of all humans and the universal importance of keeping families united. CCIR believes the entire faith community should stand in solidarity behind those most damaged by the Iowa raids.

On Tuesday, May 20, 2008, the Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on immigration and workplace raids, chaired by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). The following is a statement by Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, pro-immigrant advocacy group in Washington:

“This hearing could not come at a more critical moment in the national immigration debate. The front pages of America’s most important newspapers are detailing the deplorable conditions for immigrants in detention just as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is launching the largest workplace raid in U.S. history in Postville, IA. These are yet more heart-wrenching examples of the need for a rational and sensible immigration system. We will not deport our way out of our current immigration mess. We must craft policies that treat individuals and families humanely, address our need for immigrant workers, secure our borders, make sure everyone is playing by the same rules, and make sure that those rules are enforced evenly and professionally. In the meantime, we must be sure that the agency charged with enforcing the old, broken, and ineffective system is doing so in a way that is consistent with our values and our laws. Congress must ensure that standards of conduct are followed by our federal agents, due process is afforded, and that basic, humane conditions exist for those detained. The need for Congressional oversight to dial back the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and introduce some level of accountability for this Administration has never been greater.”

No doubt, there is more to come.  We will keep you up to date!

KJ