Supervisor at Iowa Meat Plant Asks That Judge Step Aside


By JULIA PRESTON
Published: August 14, 2008

A packing house floor supervisor who is facing criminal immigration charges stemming from his work at a meat plant in Iowa has asked the federal judge hearing his case to recuse herself, claiming she is not impartial.

The supervisor, Martin de la Rosa Loera, worked at the Agriprocessors kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, where 389 illegal immigrant workers were detained in a raid on May 12, the largest immigration enforcement operation at a single workplace.

In a motion filed late Wednesday, Mr. de la Rosa called on Linda R. Reade, chief judge for the Northern District of Iowa, to step aside from the case, arguing that “a reasonable person might harbor doubtsâ€