Nation’s Largest Immigration Crackdown Is Cause for Concern

Postville, Iowa, is a sleepy town that serves as home to a meat-packing facility known as Agriprocessors. Currently, Agriprocessors is attempting to fill nearly gaping holes left in their staff when the immigration raid resulted in nearly four hundred arrests, prosecutions, and potential deportations. Most of those arrested face charges of aggravated identity theft stemming from suspect social security cards and falsely registered vehicles.

Critics of the raid point out the disparity in punishments felt by the workers--whose lives are turned completely upside down—and the employers, who have felt no significant repercussions from the raid, unless you count trying to restaff the plant from the ground up.

Additionally, critics maintain that the raid may have the unintended effect of harming the economic viability of the town, effectively punishing hundreds of legal citizens who were in no way connected with either the crime or the raid. The primary challenge will be maintaining economic activity in a town that suddenly saw over 15% of its residents disappear. Remaining workers at the plant, for example, now face the arduous task of trying to maintain some semblance of pre-raid production levels with 389 fewer employees. And the aftereffects extended to the town’s children—50% of whom were absent from school in the days following the raid.

This is not a problem that appears headed for resolution anytime soon; nearly 5,000 workers have been arrested solely on charges stemming from immigration law since 2002—a trend that shows no signs of abating at the present moment.

It’s relatively simple—and comfortable—to dismiss Postville with the old standby, “That could never happen here.” Of course, that’s exactly what the citizens of Postville thought.

If you find yourself alleged with violating immigration law, contact a qualified immigration attorney as quickly as possible.

A. Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer in Texas. Before selecting an immigration lawyer in Houston Texas, contact the Law Offices of Annie Banerjee by visiting their information filled web site at http://www.visatous.com.