Word: iowa
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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During a bitterly cold January week, penniless women and children stream into a Catholic church in the northeastern Iowa town of Postville that has served as their refuge since May 12, when 389 workers were arrested during an immigration raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. meatpacking plant. The women are among 26 former Agriprocessors workers, most from Guatemala and Mexico, charged with immigration violations and fighting deportation. Released on humanitarian grounds but required to wear electronic ankle bracelets, the women, as well as about 59 children, now depend on the community, especially St. Bridget's church, which operates a Hispanic ministry...
...young daughter while her husband is back in Guatemala, one of many arrested workers deported in October after serving five months in prison. "I worked since I was 8 years old, and now I feel worthless. I can work, but I'm not allowed to." (See pictures of an Iowa steak...
...owner. Agriprocessors does hope to ramp up hiring and production soon, especially to meet Passover demand. After the raid, the plant ran at reduced capacity but shut down in November, reopening in December with about 300 workers. (See pictures of Hillary Clinton campaigning in Iowa with Bill Clinton...
While other Iowa communities devastated in 2008 by floods and tornadoes have received government aid, relatively little is available for Postville, once a vibrant community of some 2,300 people. "They don't have money for an economic humanitarian disaster. Believe me, we've asked," says Darcy Radloff, the city clerk. Two AmeriCorps Vista volunteers were recently assigned to Postville, and the town, known for its inflated rental properties, has received almost $700,000 in government grant money to help residents pay rent and utilities (although reported problems include landlords' reluctance to accept the payments because they're lower than...
...pictures of Iowa's raging rivers...