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Monday, September 15, 2008

Iowa town more diverse after big immigration raid

An unexpected result of the immigration raid on a Postville, Iowa, processing plant in May is that the town has become more diverse, Lynda Waddington reports for The Iowa Independent. After more than 300 workers, mostly from Guatemala, were arrested for working with false documentation, the town saw an influx of immigrants from a variety of countries seeking to fill the vacated jobs.

Waddington describes this new Postville, with new residents from countries from Russia to Somalia: "The once thriving Hispanic grocery store ... has downsized and reduced its hours of operation." She interviewed a few young men from Palau, who asked not to be named though the country's status as a former U.S. territory eases immigration. "The men are quick to point out that they are legal employees, that they have gone through proper channels to come and work here," Waddington writes. "They’ve heard news reports about the immigration raid and how those employees have described their treatment at Agriprocessors. 'When you don’t have the right papers, employers think they can do whatever they want,” said a 20-something man.'" (Read more)

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