DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Immigration reform advocates and religious leaders from three states including Illinois are planning a rally in Iowa later this month. They're using the raid at the kosher meatpacking plant in Postville last month as an example of what's wrong with the nation's immigration laws. Federal officials say it was the largest single immigration raid in the nation's history. The rally in Postville -- population 2,200 -- is scheduled for July 27th and was organized by Jewish and Catholic groups from Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. Tom Walsh is with the Chicago-based Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. He says our national immigration policies are hurting hardworking and taxpaying people.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Is this any more wrong than sending immigration after other ethnic groups?
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Some quick Googling appears to show that it may not just be Mexicans involved in this case (as the average Joe might think).. I'm seeing mentions of illegal Chinese and Guatemalan immigrants moving through that particular plant as well. Suggesting that it's something of a processing center for visa workers who quickly 'get lost' into American society. And if they're finding over 300 illegals in a town of 2200 people...
I'm nowhere near Lou Dobbs on immigration, but these goings-on seem to be a bit on the egregious side. And I'll concede that 300 illegals in a plant may not be all that unusual, but it sounds like a lot to me. And it's not like they found 300 illegals in a plant in El Paso, right? - it's the middle of frikkin' Iowa.
Paying $6 an hour for labor *without having to move the actual plant out of the country may be one way to keep factory jobs here, but this isn't helping to restore the lost middle class.
And yes, it took every ounce of willpower to keep from making an "it doesn't sound kosher" wisecrack ;)
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