Thread: A Prayer from Postville: Vigil urges reform of immigration l

By JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD, Courier Staff Writer
POSTVILLE --- Nine months after an immigration raid devastated the town, faith communities in Postville gathered Thursday night to press for comprehensive immigration reform.

About 50 people, including many women still wearing electronic tracking bracelets because of their arrest, sang hymns and prayed during an hourlong vigil at Community Presbyterian Church. Organizers said the orthodox Jewish community also joined in prayer across town, though the service was closed to the public. A leading Jewish family in town, the Rubashkins, own the kosher meatpacking plant raided by federal immigration officials last May.

Faith leaders urged people to take action and pressure elected officials to address the country's broken immigration system. The services were part of a series of vigils held this month across the country.

"We have been the silent majority for too long. (Change) is going to start with us making a little bit of noise," said Paul Rael, director of Hispanic ministries at St. Bridget's Catholic Church.

Since the raid, Rael has been speaking across the country, from New York City to Elkader, to spread the story of Postville and push for comprehensive immigration reform. He said that means undocumented workers in the country should have the opportunity to obtain a legal status, if only through guest worker visas.

Besides the raid in Postville, his best argument for the need for reform, he said, is a personal story: He knows someone who has been waiting since 1995 for the government to process a visa application.

He and others again begged Iowa senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley to visit the town. The senators' aides have spoken with town leaders, but Rael called the absence of the senators "shameful."

The Rev. Steve Brackett of St. Paul Lutheran Church called on Iowa's elected leaders to visit and "finally have the courage to finally do something" about immigration reform.

Olivia Vega Ortiz performed a corrido, a type of narrative song, which she called, "Triste Redada de Mayo," or "The Sad May Raid." In grief and sadness, she said, she wrote the song two weeks after the raid resulted in her 19-year-old son's arrest and five-month imprisonment.

Ortiz had just finished her shift at the plant and her son, Ulyses, had just arrived for work when hundreds of federal agents surrounded the building. The opening line of the song sets the scene for the fateful morning.

"I'm going to sing a song about the story of a little town, the 12th of May 'la migra' on Postville fell."

Ortiz said she first sang the corrido to her son on Oct. 12 when most of those jailed after the raid were released. The memories of the day flooded back to her son.

"He cried. He told me, 'Mom, that's exactly what happened,'" she said.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2009 ... 035416.txt

Editorial disguised as news again.

Hack. Gag.

I can't believe these people are still whining about this! YOU'RE HERE ILLEGALLY!!!!!!!!

"I'm going to sing a song about the story of a little town, the 12th of May 'la migra' on Postville fell."

Wah. Go home.

Why hasn't these people been deported? Anchor babies must go with adults unless someone else wants to be guardian. Make sure the guardian can afford the child.

"We have been the silent majority for too long. (Change) is going to start with us making a little bit of noise," said Paul Rael, director of Hispanic ministries at St. Bridget's Catholic Church.

There was just an article on here in which it was pointed out that, during the last shamnesty push, calls were 400 to 1 against it and this twit calls them the "silent majority"??? Can't this idiot count?

And, the reason your state senators are staying away from your little mexico is because they know the majority of American voters are fed completely up with this illegal invasion.

And why did you allow a bunch of criminals in to pray and locked out the public? Whatsa matter, preacher? Don't like the truth confronting you???

He and others again begged Iowa senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley to visit the town.

And why should they visit the town? Those suffering the consequences of their own illegal actions, and benefiting from illegal aliens are getting precisely what they had coming.

Now the Senators are expected to go in there feeling sorry for them, expressing their support for them?

I don't think so.

The senators' aides have spoken with town leaders, but Rael called the absence of the senators "shameful."

No, it is NOT shameful, it's about time. About time people who are elected to represent the American citizen stop kowtowing to illegal aliens and their racist, special interest advocates.

The Rev. Steve Brackett of St. Paul Lutheran Church called on Iowa's elected leaders to visit and "finally have the courage to finally do something" about immigration reform.


I'd say they have shown courage. They've shown the courage to not be intimidated into kissing the collective asses of illegal alien CRIMINALS and those demanding special treatment for them at the exclusion of American citizens and legal immigrants.

Originally Posted by azwreath

He and others again begged Iowa senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley to visit the town.

And why should they visit the town? Those suffering the consequences of their own illegal actions, and benefiting from illegal aliens are getting precisely what they had coming.

Now the Senators are expected to go in there feeling sorry for them, expressing their support for them?

I don't think so.

The senators' aides have spoken with town leaders, but Rael called the absence of the senators "shameful."

No, it is NOT shameful, it's about time. About time people who are elected to represent the American citizen stop kowtowing to illegal aliens and their racist, special interest advocates.

The Rev. Steve Brackett of St. Paul Lutheran Church called on Iowa's elected leaders to visit and "finally have the courage to finally do something" about immigration reform.


I'd say they have shown courage. They've shown the courage to not be intimidated into kissing the collective asses of illegal alien CRIMINALS and those demanding special treatment for them at the exclusion of American citizens and legal immigrants.

How right you are!