Migration & Refugee Services Articles
www.catholicnews.com
May 13, 2008
DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNS) -- The arrest of more than 300 employees at an Iowa meatpacking plant has left countless families in a "state of terror" and once again shows the need for comprehensive immigration reform, according to Archbishop Jerome G. Hanus of Dubuque.
"Some of the weakest members among us are bearing the brunt of the suffering, while legislators and other leaders, as well as many of us in the general public, have failed to give this issue the priority that it deserves," the archbishop said in a statement following the largest immigration raid in the state's history.
In a statement posted on its Web site, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said its agents executed a criminal search warrant May 12 at Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville for evidence relating to aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers and other crimes, as well as a civil search warrant for people illegally in the United States. The plant is in the Dubuque Archdiocese.
Scrambling to assist the many people affected by the raids is the newly formed Immigrant Safety Network, which aims to improve services and communications in response to such a raid. It is comprised of numerous social service agencies in the Des Moines area, including Catholic Charities of the Des Moines Diocese. It is meant to serve as a model for local community efforts.
Sol Varisco-Santini, migration and refugee services coordinator for Catholic Charities in Des Moines, said nine immigration lawyers, working pro bono, and 12 bilingual volunteers have been dispatched to assist detainees and their families with legal aid.
The network also tries to help families determine where to find shelter, food and water and also is striving to coordinate donation efforts and how donations should be used.
Varisco-Santini said the first 72 hours after a raid are crucial because that is the time frame in which immigration authorities must press charges, if there are any.
Archbishop Hanus said the church's response to the immigration issue "is based on the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, which call believers to welcome the stranger among us, to treat the alien with respect and charity, and to provide pastoral and humanitarian assistance."
"While we do not condone illegal activity, we do give spiritual and moral support to suffering families," he added.
Archbishop Hanus said leaders in the Catholic community as well as many other religious leaders have called for immigration reform that, among other things, creates legal avenues for workers and their families who wish to enter the United States and work in a safe, legal and orderly manner with their rights fully protected.
Matt Dummermuth, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, said in the May 12 statement that "this is the largest operation of its type ever in Iowa. Agents and officers from federal, state and local agencies are involved today. The coordination and logistical planning efforts have been going on for months."
"ICE is committed to enforcing the nation's immigration laws in the workplace to maintain the integrity of the immigration system," said ICE Special Agent in Charge Claude Arnold in the agency's statement. "We carry out that obligation in a fair and responsible manner, ensuring humanitarian needs are taken into consideration."
The statement said that those taken into custody would be interviewed by ICE agents and Public Health Service officers to determine if they have health, caregiver or other humanitarian concerns. In the 24 hours after the raid, more than 40 individuals were released on humanitarian grounds under supervision and pending future immigration proceedings.
Men were being housed in Waterloo -- about 75 miles from the plant -- while women were being held at local county jails.
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