Calls for immigration reform continue in Postville

Roughly 100 people gathered at various locations Thursday night in Postville, a small town still reeling in the aftermath of an unprecedented May 2008 immigration raid, to pray for reform. Many of those gathered at Community Presbyterian Church, shown above, were detainees in the raid and were released back into the community with ankle tracking devices. At least 24 individuals in Postville with such devices continue to exist by charity while they await their day in court.

POSTVILLE — Few people zig-zagged around remaining patches of ice on the sidewalks of this northeast Iowa town Thursday night. There were no endless parades through neighborhoods, no megaphones or chants sung to the beat of a snare drum. No charter buses lined the grassy area next to the railroad tracks, and no protesters or counter-protesters yelled at one another from opposite ends of downtown.

But truth be told, little showmanship was necessary as four men of faith took turns speaking from the pulpit of Community Presbyterian Church. Unlike those who demonstrated in Postville last summer, participants in this call for comprehensive immigration reform have lived the daily realities of life after the May 12 raid in which 389 workers at a meat processing plant were detained.

The diverse participants at the prayer vigil for comprehensive immigration reform held hands as they prayed for lawmakers to have the courage to act.

“It all just ripples out in a circle,” said the Rev. Gary Catterson, pastor at Community Presbyterian, while speaking with Iowa Independent after the vigil. “It’s that way with any disaster — it just goes out further. This might be the epicenter, but it just keeps going out. The people are affected. Businesses are affected. It really is just affecting everyone in one way or another.”

Those seated in Community Presbyterian pews — many of them women detainees from the raid who were released back into the community with electronic monitoring devices and who continue to await their day in court — need no refresher course in how immigration raids such as the ones in Postville can impact a community or individual. Across town, in what was described by a participant as “private and thoughtful reflection,” members of the Jewish community also took time to consider the aftermath of last May. Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is owned by the Rubashkin family. Sholom M. Rubashkin, a son of company founder Aaron Rubashkin and former plant executive, continues to cope with myriad legal woes in the wake of the raid.

A young Postville resident sings "Tu, Senor, Que Brillas" ("You, Dear Lord"), the opening song at the prayer vigil.

Given the audience at the public vigil, there is little doubt why the focus was on the immediate need for action, especially by Iowa’s federal delegation.

“I have one final request from me to all of you,” said Paul Rael, director of Hispanic Outreach and Ministry at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, as he ended his remarks during the service. “We have been the silent majority for way too long. I ask you — I implore you — call your representatives in Washington. … Tell them it is time that they make a visit to Postville. Tell them that you want comprehensive immigration reform so that another community doesn’t have to suffer what Postville has suffered.”

Rael, who has advocated for immigration reform and told the stories of Postville throughout the nation, noted that U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley, Republican, and Tom Harkin, Democrat, have yet to make a personal visit to the community and described their actions as shameful.

Steve Brackett, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, also pointed a finger at Iowa’s lawmakers and demanded that they “have courage to do something.”

After the vigil, Rael said that while he was frustrated with the lack of action, he didn’t necessarily intend his tone to be more harsh when he spoke about Iowa’s elected officials.

“I think you have to be strong,” Rael said. “I don’t think that you can get up and declare or ask for or proclaim something without showing that you mean it.

“I just say it like it is because there is no point in beating around the bush about it.”

Nine months after the raid and many prayer vigils later, Rael said it is still difficult for Postville, a small town on the border of Allamakee and Clayton counties, to move forward.

“Until all of the women and men have had their day in court, we really haven’t gotten anywhere,” he said. “…Some of the women aren’t going to have their day in court until November or December of this year. Until that gets settled, or until visas come through, we are no further ahead.”

Until that day comes, Catterson hopes the community will continue to work together.

“It’s always good when people come together to pray,” he said. “It’s important to come together because, just like during any disaster, people can forget. Being together like this allows people to remember. It keeps it at the forefront.”