Iowa meat packing plant raided by ICE
 

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a criminal search warrant this morning at Agriprocessors, Inc., in Postville, Iowa, for evidence relating to aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers and other crimes, as well as a civil search warrant for people illegally in the United States. The announcement was made by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa Matt M. Dummermuth and ICE Special Agent in Charge Claude Arnold.
  “This is not the first time this office has been a part of a criminal worksite enforcement operation,” said Dummermuth. “However, this is the largest operation of its type ever in Iowa. Agents and officers from federal, state, and local agencies are involved today. The coordination and logistical planning efforts have been going on for months.”
  “ICE is committed to enforcing the nation’s immigration laws in the workplace to maintain the integrity of the immigration system,” said Claude Arnold, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Bloomington, Minnesota. “We carry out that obligation in a fair and responsible manner, ensuring humanitarian needs are taken into consideration.
  Anyone encountered during this operation who is discovered to be in the United States illegally eventually will be placed into administrative removal proceedings. So far, ICE agents have arrested more than 300 individuals for administrative immigration violations.
  All of those taken into custody during today’s operation will be interviewed by ICE agents and Public Health Service officers to determine if they have health, caregiver, or other humanitarian concerns. As a result of those interviews, over 40 individuals have so far been released on humanitarian grounds under supervision, pending future immigration proceedings.
  ICE has established a toll-free number that family members can call to obtain information about the custody status and detention location of those detained today. That number is 866-341-3858.
  Contacts were made this morning to alert local schools, government officials and the Iowa Department of Human Services about the operation.
  The men apprehended today initially will be held in housing established for their detention at Estel Hall, in Waterloo, Iowa; women initially will be held at local county jails.
  The investigation is being led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Other agencies assisting today include the United States Marshals Service; United States Postal Inspections Service; Iowa Department of Public Safety; Iowa Department of Transportation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Federal Protective Service; Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigations; United States Department of Labor; Public Health Service; United States Department of Agriculture; United States Environmental Protection Agency; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Drug Enforcement Administration; Waterloo Police Department; and the Postville Police Department.

The human side of the immigration problem
 

By Dave Collins -
Postville Iowa - May 13, 2008 - The after effects of the raid by the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Agriprocessor’s plant yesterday, where 390 people were detained (see story below), will be felt for a long time. It stands out in a number of ways. Statistically, it was the largest single site enforcement of its kind ever in the U. S. Of the 390 people detained, 314 were men, 76 Women, 66 were released for humanitarian reasons (need to care for a family members as an example), and 12 were juveniles.
  From a point of origin perspective, 290 were Guatemalans, 93 Mexicans, 3 from Israel and 4 from the Ukraine. Not one person in management, as of this time, has been detained. It is curious that Iowa is made up of about 4% Hispanics while the border states (New Mexico, California, Texas and Arizona) have between 30 to 40% of the Hispanic population, and yet we were targeted for the largest crack down ever. Perhaps ICE wanted to have us northerners get a taste of this problem up close and personal.
  So much for statistics. What I saw in Postville were depressed and traumatized people, mostly gathered around St. Bridget Catholic Church where many families spent the night in the sanctuary, afraid to go home and needing to be together.
  To get a feel for their concerns, watch the video of the young people pictured above and Father Ouderkirk, the parish priest.
  ICE did nothing wrong, they are just enforcing our laws and were very open with the press. They have certainly come under a lot of criticism for not doing so, by the likes of CNN’s Lou Dobbs and others. But, Mr. Dobbs needs to tone down his ranting and come out on the street to visit with the broken families to get a taste of the human dimensions of this problem.
  Certainly we need to control our borders, but we also need to find a better solution to this problem. These are good people looking for a better life, just as our grandparents and great grandparents did.
  ICE has provided an 800 number for families who need information about their loved ones, who have been detained. It is 1-866-341-3858.   

The dark side of the immigration problem
 

By Dave Collins -
I have been taken to task, and rightfully so, by a couple of our readers for not providing the other side of the immigration problem.
  Yes, there is a dark side. Illegal immigration spawns drug traffic in the community, gangs and other criminal activity. Not all illegal immigrants are into this activity, but too many are. Postville, as a community, has suffered greatly by the influx of illegal immigrants and the resulting raise in crime. Some long time residence, I’ve been told, have been driven out of Postville.
  Fake Social Security numbers and medicaid reliance further distort our system of governance. It is no wonder that many people in Allamakee County are glad to see the raid and these people deported. The general feeling is: “Yes, they are looking for a better life and that is fine, but do it the legal way like so many others have.”
  The third side of this story are the company officials who are not held accountable for hiring illegals in the first place. Bush protects big business so those company officials, who bring about all this misery, go untouched and will continue to hire illegals. They need to be arrested as well.
  ICE says it’s a long complicated investigation to arrest management. If ICE can swoop in and arrest 390 workers in an hour, it defies credibility that management can’t tell they have 390 illegals working for them for years.