Iowa town struggles after immigration raid

ICE officials defend the raid, saying the workers arrested were violating immigration laws and committing identity theft.

"They are serious offenses and we will not apologize for enforcing the nation's laws. If 305 U.S. citizens had committed identity theft and misuse of Social Security numbers, would people expect us to look the other way?" said Tim Counts, an ICE spokesman. "Any disruption, whether to families or communities, should be put at the feet of those who violate the law."

Since the raid, revelations about unsafe working conditions at the plant have only served to solidify support for the detained workers and their families.

Last week, the Iowa Labor Commissioner's Office said an investigation had uncovered 57 cases of child labor law violations at the facility, which has also been cited for numerous safety and health violations. The claims have prompted debates among rabbis about kosher law's protections for food workers, and how Orthodox oversight officials should involve themselves.

Agriprocessors officials have issued statements denying that the company knowingly hired any underage workers, and saying they are cooperating with state and federal investigators, as well as conducting their own investigation into the immigration violations.

Call for reform
But the allegations of abuse and plight of the families have also fueled a growing call for immigration reform from town officials and ordinary folks alike.

"What happened here is a microcosm of what's happening in the country," said Brian Gravel, principal of Postville's high school. "If nothing is done, there will be many many more Postvilles around the country, and that's not healthy for anyone."

Without Mexican and Guatemalan children, the 500-student Postville school district could lose a large chunk of its student body, and along with them, extra state funding for English Language Learners classes.

Without Latino workers, Agriprocessors is still operating at only 50 percent capacity despite efforts to recruit replacement workers, said Chaim Abrahams, the plant manager. Outside the plant, "Now Hiring" signs have been posted along the roadside.

"It is challenging," he acknowledged while guiding a reporter on a tour of the plant.

"I hope our little town will survive. I think it will," said Sharon Drahn, editor of the Postville Herald-Leader. "We've gotten through lots of things and we'll get through this too. It'll take awhile and it's tough, but we're just a resilient bunch in Iowa."

Signs of renewal
There are already signs of renewal.

About 150 Somalis, refugees who live and work legally in this country, have arrived to work at Agriprocessors since the raid. At first, most were single men, but a growing number of women are starting to join them. In the evenings, the long, lanky men in loose fitting clothes and women, swathed in traditional Muslim dresses and hijabs, can often be seen walking from the meatpacking plant to downtown.

There, inside the former "Sunday Mattress" store, where the windows still tout Fulls, Queens, and Kings, Hassan Aar described the pull of work that lured him from Minneapolis to Postville.

"It's a good place to be," said Aar, 27, who left his wife and three young sons behind in the Twin Cities. "I heard there was work here, so I came first to get settled. If it works out, then I will bring them."

There are plans to turn the downtown storefront into a Somali restaurant, and a food distributor has contacted Juan Figueroa, the owner of Sabor Latino, about stocking Somali items.

Yet, even as Aar and other Somalis tentatively contemplate a future in this place of rolling hills and pastoral beauty, Guatemalan immigrants are fighting to keep their own dreams from slipping away.

Inside a nondescript apartment just off the railroad tracks, several women have set up a makeshift weaving cooperative. There, behind closed curtains and by the light of a television set, they flick colorful threads with the deftness of harpists and create intricately woven cloths that are a Guatemalan tradition.

Wearing black ankle bracelets, they raise money for food by selling wall hangings, purses and belts at a local crafts markets.

"Before, we tolerated everything they did to us at the plant. We worked very hard, but we lived free," said Fidelina, 37. "Now, we have no work. We are not free. And we have no idea what will happen to us."

The same could be said for Postville.

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