Postville Aftermath: Governor’s Office Outlines Response, Calls for Immigration Reform

Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, while outlining the state’s response to the May 12 immigration raids on Agriprocessors in Postville, has called for the federal government to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

“I want to commend local officials and nonprofit organizations for their help during this difficult situation,” Judge said. “They have done an outstanding job, and we will work with them to keep the pressure on the federal government to pass comprehensive immigration reform, so that a situation like this never happens again.”

In addition to Judge’s statement, the Governor’s Office released the following outline of steps that state agencies have taken since the raid:

• Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor
  • Gov. Chet Culver and Lt. Gov. Judge convened a working group of several state agencies to monitor the situation and ensure that people were treated with dignity and that due process was upheld.
  • Lt. Gov. Judge communicated humanitarian concerns to both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and has continued conversations with the federal government to ensure that state officials have the latest information.
  • The Governor’s Office has held two conference calls with community and county officials to discuss the situation on the ground, offer technical assistance and provide information on aid programs that may be available.
  • Culver and Judge have worked with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to investigate claims that legal rights were not being upheld.
  • Culver and Judge asked Latino Affairs Director Armando Villareal to travel to Postville and provide firsthand reports of the situation within the community.
  • Staff within the Governor’s Office has held discussions with representatives from the legal community to provide greater access to legal representation for detainees and their families so that due process rights are protected.
  • Judge has reached out, and will continue to reach out, to Iowa’s faith-based community to assist in providing family members access to basic needs.
• Department of Human Rights/Division of Latino Affairs
  • Latino Affairs Director Armando Villareal traveled to Postville to monitor the situation on the ground and determine what assistance state government could provide the community.
• Iowa Civil Rights Commission
  • Executive Director Ralph Rosenberg has communicated with the faith-based community what services family members of detainees need, such as shelter, medical care, food, mental health needs and right to counsel.
  • Rosenberg has deliberated with Iowa Legal Aid and other attorneys to provide detainees and their families with legal services or legal information concerning issues such as housing, immigration status and wage claims.
• Department of Human Services
  • A social worker has been on site since Monday, May 12, to ensure that every child has proper supervision and care. Since Wednesday, the social worker has conducted a door-to-door canvass to ensure that children were safe and supervised.
  • Staff took applications from 48 eligible citizens for assistance with food stamps and medical services.
  • Staff has provided mental health services to members of the community and the school system.
• Department of Public Health
  • DPH staff will hold a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinic on May 27 to help eligible, low-income Iowans pay for food and formula. A Maternal and Child Health clinic is also scheduled for the near future.
• Iowa Workforce Development
  • IWD lawyers have contacted Agriprocessors and encouraged the company to make good on wages to employees affected by the Federal action in Postville.

“We continue to monitor the situation in Postville,” Judge said. “As a state, we are committed to ensuring that our laws are protected while those affected are treated with dignity and respect, and will continue to do what we can to protect the rights and safety of everyone involved — especially the families and children.”