Thousands march to free immigrant workers

Some 3,000 demonstrators, outnumbering the population of this small town, came here July 27 to express their outrage over a brutal raid May 12 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a local meatpacking plant in which 389 immigrant workers were arrested. Agriprocessors, the largest kosher meat processor in the country, was raided on the grounds that workers were engaged in “identity theft.” Many of these workers were sentenced to five-months’ imprisonment and now face deportation.

Marchers demand freedom for detained immigrant workers, July 27, Postville, Iowa. WW photo: Martha Grevatt

The demonstration was called jointly by St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Postville, Jewish Community Action of Minneapolis and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs of Chicago. St. Bridget’s has been a pillar of support–materially and emotionally—to the families of the detainees. JCUA has established a relief fund.

Thousands filled the St. Bridget’s hall and the grounds outside, coming mainly from the Midwest but also New York and Massachusetts. Several buses were chartered from Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul by the JCA, the JCUA and others.

Those who came with their religious organizations were joined by Latin@, Black and white youth as well as trade unionists. The out-of-town supporters joined with many hundreds of Postville residents, both immigrant and U.S.-born. The most courageous marchers—the families directly impacted by the raids—were asked to lead the march.

Children carried signs reading “ICE, don’t separate more families” and “ICE, Regresame a mi papa, Te pido justicia” (“ICE, give me back to my papa, I ask you for justice”).

The two-mile march was loud. Favorite chants included “Si se puede” (“Yes, we can”) and “El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido” (“The people united will never be defeated”). The crowd joined in when Black and Latin@ youth from Minnesota chanted “Black, brown and white, together we fight.”

At the same time as this demonstration was taking place, the New York Times ran a lengthy front-page article on the horrendous working conditions endured by the immigrant workers at Agriprocessors. Workers bravely offered evidence that the company has violated numerous state and federal labor statutes. Horrors include children engaged in dangerous work, workers forced to work shifts of twelve hours and longer, verbal and physical abuse, and sexual harassment.

Yet rather than charge the company for its crimes, the federal government chose to arrest the workers who are the victims of this abuse. After serving their five-month sentences, the undocumented workers stand to be deported. Families are heartbroken by the separation and struggling to survive without even the meager wages they depended on.

The Times story did not describe the brutality of the ICE raid, the largest in U.S. history. In the well-planned military operation, 900 armed agents treated the workers worse than livestock, taking them all to a fairground, shackling and handcuffing them, and coercing them into pleading guilty. Nor did the Times article mention the planned national demonstration called by outraged Jewish and Christian organizations in solidarity with the workers.

Jewish, Catholic and Lutheran clergy led a prayer service preceding the march. During and after the march, which stopped briefly outside the Agriprocessors plant, speakers included former workers, religious leaders and the mayor of Postville. A hateful group of counter-demonstrators numbered no more than 100.

Just prior to the march, the leaders of JCA and JCUA were able to meet with the management of Agriprocessors. They asked for an immediate contribution of $100,000 to the workers’ relief fund, back pay to the detained workers, and full transparency around the issue of worker treatment. The company claimed to have already taken those steps, though none of the workers has gotten a check. “Promises are not enough,” JCUA Executive Director Jane Ramsey stated at the rally.

For the detained workers and their families the nightmare is by no means over, but the huge march gave the terrorized community a much-needed boost of solidarity.

Martha Grevatt has been a UAW Chrysler worker for 20 years.