Hispanic caucus to be in Postville Saturday
By James Q. Lynch

The Gazette
james.lynch@gazettecommunications.com

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will visit Postville on Saturday to talk to residents about the impact of the May 12 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of Agriprocessors meatpacking plant.

The caucus will be meeting with community members at from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bridget's Church, 135 W. Williams St.

Caucus members plan to talk to former and current plant workers, their families and other community members about the raid in the northeast Iowa community.

Fourth District U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, whose district includes the plant, won't be a part of the tour, but has met with Hispanic caucus member Rep. Luis Gutierrez to give him a "primer" on the community — the history, the diversity, how it's changed, according to staff member James Carstensen.

"He definitely wants to follow up with them," Carstensen added. "Anytime a congressman from outside the state takes an interest in Iowa, it's beneficial."

For Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, the raid signaled an unwelcome shift in immigration policy.

"An immigration system that is predicated on fear tactics and piecemeal, deportation-only policies profoundly worsens our immigration crisis by creating broken homes and tearing the fabric of our society," Gutierrez said.

He called the raid "pandering" to "anti-immigrant extremists and conservative pundits." However, the policy "truly failed nearly 400 hardworking families, who are now left with an impossible daily struggle to feed their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens," Gutierrez said.

He's also concerned about the "proportional imbalance" of the raid, according to a spokeswoman, because Agriprocessors, which has been accused of wage and hour violations, child labor and physical and sexual abuse, so far, has faced no charges.

The visit is about listening, not giving speeches, a spokeswoman for Gutierrez said.

While there, caucus members plan to meet with a 13-year-old U.S. citizen whose parent was detained in the raid, and two women who have been released with electronic homing devices. They plan to talk to members of the local relief team, including the mayor, school principal, and religious leaders, to examine the impact of the raid on the broader community.

They also want to review how much of the legal process packing plant workers understood and the ongoing labor investigation at Agriprocessors.

On Sunday, activists from across the country will gather in Postville for an interfaith service, march and rally calling for comprehensive immigration reform, family unification and just labor practices from 1 to 4 p.m.
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