Calls for immigration reform continue in Postville
At public vigil, community asks lawmakers to 'have courage to do something'
By Lynda Waddington 2/20/09 1:59 PM

Roughly 100 people gathered at various locations Thursday night in Postville, a small town still reeling in the aftermath of an unprecedented May 2008 immigration raid, to pray for reform. Many of those gathered at Community Presbyterian Church, shown above, were detainees in the raid and were released back into the community with ankle tracking devices. At least 24 individuals in Postville with such devices continue to exist by charity while they await their day in court.

POSTVILLE — Few people zig-zagged around remaining patches of ice on the sidewalks of this northeast Iowa town Thursday night. There were no endless parades through neighborhoods, no megaphones or chants sung to the beat of a snare drum. No charter buses lined the grassy area next to the railroad tracks, and no protesters or counter-protesters yelled at one another from opposite ends of downtown.

But truth be told, little showmanship was necessary as four men of faith took turns speaking from the pulpit of Community Presbyterian Church. Unlike those who demonstrated in Postville last summer, participants in this call for comprehensive immigration reform have lived the daily realities of life after the May 12 raid in which 389 workers at a meat processing plant were detained.


The diverse participants at the prayer vigil for comprehensive immigration reform held hands as they prayed for lawmakers to have the courage to act.
“It all just ripples out in a circle,â€