Immigration a top issue in Iowa
Not a border state, its population is 91 percent white; U.S. average is 66 percent
By James Romoser
JOURNAL REPORTER
Friday, December 21, 2007


MARION, Iowa

Drive north through Cedar Rapids and you will soon come to a place called Marion, a city of 30,000 residents that feels much smaller.

As you arrive in town, on your left is the sprawling campus of Rockwell Collins, a high-tech company that provides gadgets and services to aircraft manufacturers and government agencies. You then drive through a buffer of fast-food restaurants and suburban strip malls before coming to the town’s heart, where Christmas music plays over speakers and the local diner is known for its big plate of “broastedâ€