Thread: IA: Illegal immigration reshapes culture of small town

Illegal immigration reshapes culture of small-town Iowa
By Sharon Cohen - Associated Press Writer

September 2, 2007

David Lienemann/AP Photo

Metal pigs line the top of the receiving dock at the Swift & Company meatpacking plant in Marshalltown, Iowa. The plant, the town’s largest employer, has faced two federal crackdowns for employing illegal immigrants.

MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA — Everyone knew they were there, doing dirty and dangerous work in the meatpacking plant. They had come more than 1,000 miles, from impoverished rural Mexico to the lush corn country of the Midwest. Some looked the other way. Others offered a helping hand.

Then federal agents swept through, and the complicated bargain that Marshalltown had made with illegal immigration was laid bare.

This town in the heart of middle America that has been transformed — even rejuvenated — by immigration stands as a symbol of the predicaments and pressures faced by many communities today.

‘Going to be gored’

“It’s a matter of enforcing the immigration laws while recognizing families are trying to improve their life,â€

[quote]Since the police don’t enforce federal immigration laws, “if you were simply working or living here,â€