The Pink Flamingo :: Ten Percent of Postville Arrested in One Day

"We are at the beginning of a national crisis," stated Ester R. Shapiro, a professor at UMASS Boston and a researcher at the Gaston Institute who contributed research for the report. "Homeland security guards told these mothers that DSS had already taken their children, that they had already lost their children.” Shapiro continued, “A detainee told me the worst night of her life was spent listening to the weeping of mothers who thought they had already lost their children. That is torture, and we have to take a …”stand against that."

No, they are not here legally. Yes, they are breaking the law – a misdemeanor. Some are involved in identity theft (fake documents) and yes it is illegal. On the other hand, they are paying money into that social security account they will never see. For the most part they entered the country illegally. They are on the lam, so to speak, hiding from the authorities. Many are being underpaid, but do you even care about that? They are the target for any sort of harassment and criminal activity because they are now afraid to call the cops. They are using emergency rooms instead of making legit doctor’s appointments. They are easy prey for abuse. Many do not speak English.

They are human beings. They hurt. They love. They are born and they die. They are just as frail and fragile as those of us who are fortunate to be American by birth or naturalization. They are doing jobs people here won’t do – and you know it. They have families. They have children. They have all the same normal feelings that you and I have . They are people – humans – who need to be treated decently and with respect.

There is a difference between a CRIMINAL who is here illegally and a migrant worker who is here illegally. They are not the same thing, and to imply that they are is a canard - a lie. I do not want criminal illegal aliens deported - at all. I want them incarcerated - no parole. Depending on the crime, once they have "paid their debt to society" they can be deported. There are some offenses that need a life-time of incarceration (child molestation and rape). But then, the offenders here who are "legal" need the same sentence. Are children in - say - Mexico any less important than the ones here. Don't they need to be protected just as much as American children? "Red or yellow, black or white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world" - not just America.

Funny how a speeding ticket is a misdemeanor but no one denigrates speeders. I speed. You speed, we all speed. Jaywalking is a misdemeanor. No parking zones are misdemeanors. There are a number of misdemeanors out there.

“…A misdemeanor, or misdemeanour, in many common law legal systems, is a "lesser" criminal act. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies; but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as regulatory offenses). Many misdemeanors are punished with monetary fines. Usually only repeat misdemeanor offenders are punished by actual jail time.

In the United States, the federal government generally considers a crime punishable by a year or less in prison to be a misdemeanor.[1] All other crimes are felonies. Many states also follow this.

The distinction between a felony and misdemeanor has been abolished by most other common law jurisdictions (e.g. Crimes Act 1958 (Vic., Australia) s. 332B(1), Crimes Act 1900 (NSW., Australia) s. 580E(1)). Those jurisdictions have generally adopted some other classification, e.g. in Canada, Australia, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom the crimes are divided into summary offences and indictable offences.

In some jurisdictions, those who are convicted of a misdemeanor are known as misdemeanants (as contrasted with those convicted of a felony who are known as felons). Depending on the jurisdiction, examples of misdemeanors may include: petty theft, prostitution, public intoxication, simple assault, disorderly conduct, trespass, vandalism, and other similar crimes. In the United States, misdemeanors are crimes with a maximum punishment of 12 months of incarceration, typically in a local jail (again, as contrasted with felons, who are typically incarcerated in a prison). Those people who are convicted of misdemeanors are often punished with probation, community service or part-time imprisonment, served on the weekends.
Infractions are the least serious, are punishable only by fine (and a command to reverse the behavior), and never carry a formal social stigma (examples of violations include parking and minor traffic offences, late payment of fees, and building code violations).

Misdemeanors usually do not result in the loss of civil rights, but may result in loss of privileges, such as professional licenses, public offices, or public employment. Such effects are known as the collateral consequences of criminal charges. This is more common when the misdemeanor is related to the privilege in question (such as the loss of a taxi driver's license after a conviction for reckless driving), or when the misdemeanor involves moral turpitude -- and in general is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. One prominent example of this is found in the United States Constitution, which provides that the President may be impeached by Congress for "high crimes and misdemeanors" and removed from office accordingly. The definition of a "high" misdemeanor is left to the judgment of Congress….”

The constant refrain that “they are breaking the law just being here” – well it is a misdemeanor. If someone speeds, they are breaking the law. If they illegally park, they are braking the law.

They are human beings and deserve to be treated as such. Just being on American soil allows them access to our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. If not, then those sacred entities are absolutely no good. What are those who oppose illegal aliens afraid of? Are they afraid these precious laws will be extended – equally?

Why do they fear “anchor babies”?

These people are human. They have the same feelings we all have. Their children, who are legal American citizens have feelings. Do you think they are sub-human and have no cognitive thought? They can be hurt. They have hearts that can be broken. They have the same capacity for love and hate we all have. And this is the problem. By destroying these families – either sending these children to a country where THEY HAVE NO LEGAL RIGHTS and are illegal invaders themselves – or by deporting their parents – our anti-immigration supporters are breeding an entire generation – several million – young people who will hate this nation. They will be able to vote. Ten years from now, when they start coming of age en masse it isn’t going to be pretty.

This is how you create a generation of terrorists.

It is important to think things through before you act. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are going to be unintended consequences of these mass deportations, and the children who are left alone – here. We are going to be paying for those consequences for many decades to come.

There are greater laws than those man creates. Christ taught us how to care for people – with love. Our anti-immigration supporters are acting with hate.

Deal with it.

HOW TO DESTROY A TOWN
Fully 10% of the residents of Postville were arrested yesterday. Today a third of the students were not in school. There are about 2 weeks left of school. There’s no reason for them not to finish the year. Iowa is sending in state agencies (at the cost of millions of dollars) to try and assist the community, which could be destroyed over the raids. Mayor Bob Penrod is furious.

“…"They've had investigations before, but not in such a magnitude that it would disrupt the whole town like it has," he said.   Penrod fears that Agriprocessors might shut its doors.   "If Ag leaves, it'll be a ghost town here," he said. "It's not like Swift in Marshalltown. When that happens here, it has a huge, huge impact. We didn't need this. This literally blew our town away."   Penrod said he and other city leaders will seek government help in renewing the immigrants' green cards and also money to help the immigrants cope with lost wages because of the raid…”

HUMANE TREATMENT?
ICE is saying that people are being treated “humanely” but are being denied access to telephones, their children, and as of this morning, had not been allowed to eat anything.

LAWYERS NOT ALLOWED?
Hearings on the immigration status of these people are scheduled to begin today around 4PM. The big problem is the fact that some 147 people have asked for legal council. So far, legal representation has yet to be allowed (with only a few exceptions), with a number of lawyers waiting to see their clients.

REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
If this isn’t some sort of double speak that should send chills down your spine try: The Office of Refugee Resettlement. Those detained in Iowa yesterday who are under 18 are being taken for Refugee Resettlement. They can go to specific cities?

“….The State Department identifies refugee children overseas who are eligible for resettlement in the U.S., but do not have a parent or a relative available and committed to providing for their long term care. Upon arrival in the U.S., these refugee children are placed into the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program and receive refugee foster care services and benefits.

The program was originally developed in the 1980s to address the needs of thousands of children in Southeast Asia without a parent or guardian to care for them. Since 1980, almost 12,000 minors have entered the URM program. At its peak in 1985, ORR provided protection to 3,828 children in care. Now in various States, ORR has about 600 children in care. While most children are placed in licensed foster homes, other licensed care settings are utilized according to children’s individual needs, such as therapeutic foster care, group homes, residential treatment centers, and independent living programs….”

If this doesn’t bother you, then something is vastly wrong with your values and your sense of humanity.

“…The 300 people arrested represent almost one-third of the plant’s 968 workers.  At 9 a.m. today, three lawyers - Miryam Antúnez de Mayolo of Cedar Falls, JoAnn Barten of Ames and Sonja Parras Konrad of Des Moines – intended to ask ICE officials for permission to see clients inside Cattle Congress.   Last night, De Mayolo had G-28s from families for two female detainees and two men, but she wasn’t able to talk to any of them. ICE officials said one woman had been released. They didn’t have custody of another woman, and they had no records on the two men, she said.  It’s possible the immigrants had not yet been processed with fingerprints and photos yet, De Mayolo said. Or it’s possible they gave ICE officials fictitious names they made up on the spot – a practice she discourages, she said.  De Mayolo said she was not allowed into any buildings, but asked to wait in a parking lot. She noted the bustle of federal officials around her.  “It is a major operation. I have never seen so many ICE officials together like that,” she said.  The fairgrounds is surrounded by a high chain-link fence with armed guards at several gates.   This morning, cars drove in and out: catering vans, a uniform company, rental cars filled with ICE officials and beefy SUVs with license plates from Georgia, New York and Colorado.   Meanwhile, Thill said she’s hearing some conflicting information that concerns her.  ICE officials said Monday that the male detainees would be housed at the Cattle Congress while the women went to local jails, but Thill said “I know for a fact some women were in Waterloo last night.”  And ICE reported early in the afternoon that about 40 women had been released in Postville for “humanitarian” reasons, including a need to care for their children. But at 4 p.m., no women had been released, Thill said.   Thill said she believes every child in Postville was picked up from school Monday by a family member….’”

Interestingly the people of Postville are rather angry – at ICE.

“…Standing outside the Agriprocessors plant, Adolfo Calderon said he tried to put himself in the shoes of someone here illegally.  He has friends who work at the plant, he said, most of whom are in America legally, but he feared for the families who might be separated.  "They shouldn't do this," Calderon said. "I understand it's a legal (issue) and they're trying to do their job, but what happens to these poor families?"

Adolfo Calderon, 15, said his father manages apartments in the town. With the raid, those apartments could be cleared out and his father could be put out of business.  Hidie Roach, a teller at Citizens State Bank in Postville, said the raid gives the town a bad name.  The town needs the packing plant, Roach said. "I think a lot of people will leave."…”

When the anti-immigration wonks start counting costs, do they want to add up what this fiasco is going to cost the state of Iowa and the town of Postville?

A third of the students at the schools in Postville did not show up for classes today.

“On the day of the raid, Postville Schools Superintendent David Strudthoff's top priority was to find a safe place for displaced children to stay after class. School staff reunited them with parents or other relatives, and about 40 were taken to St. Bridget's Catholic Church that has been a safe haven for the town's illegal immigrants.   Now, Strudthoff's mission is to get the children back to finish the last 2 1/2 weeks of school.   About 33 percent of the elementary and middle school's 363 students were absent on Tuesday. Strudthoff said most of the absent students were Latino. Most of the high school's Latino population was absent Tuesday as well, but they make up a much smaller percentage of the total students.   School officials are seeking to rebuild trust with families that their children will be safe in class.   "They'll trust school officials," Strudthoff said of the absent children's parents. "We know them. We see them in church. When we say it's safe, they believe us."   Still, Strudthoff said the future of his school district is unclear.   "We had 10 percent of our entire community arrested in 12 hours," he said. "We're entering into territory here in Postville that's never been seen before. It's just like having a tornado that wiped out an entire part of town….”

SURPRISINGLY LITTLE COVERAGE
There is surprisingly little coverage of the story. I find this fascinating. Evidently there was this alleged disgruntled employee who contacted ICE. That alone makes me suspicious. Why would someone call ICE when they knew they would be deported? Citizen Orange (honorable liberal) has the best coverage of the story. There is a link to a study about the children of illegal migrants who are left behind. It is not pretty.

“…Researchers found that for every two people detained in immigration enforcement operations, one child is left behind. Two-thirds of these children are U.S. citizens and a similar share is under age ten. The report details the consequences of immigration enforcement operations on children’s psychological, educational, economic, and social wellbeing. It also outlines the heavy burden that workplace raids are placing on communities, school systems, social service providers, and religious institutions, which have acted as first responders for families in these incidents.

Corinn Williams, Executive Director of the Community Economic Development Center in New Bedford has been serving the immigrant community impacted by the raid. “The horrific pain that people witnessed during the ordeal of the raid has not gone away. That raid still tears away at our community in New Bedford. Families are torn apart, and mothers and children are suffering, in some ways more than ever,” she stated.

Carol Trust, the Executive Director of the MA Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers stated, “It is crucial that child advocates call upon Federal and State officials to make the safety and wellbeing of children at the center of any discussion and a non-negotiable element of federal immigration reform.”

Marylou Sudders, President and CEO of the MA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children stated, "We should be working with our congressional delegation to stop these raids from happening.” She continued, “For the United States government to be engaged in raids that then traumatize children, two-thirds of whom are United States citizens, is a catastrophe.”

"We are at the beginning of a national crisis," stated Ester R. Shapiro, a professor at UMASS Boston and a researcher at the Gaston Institute who contributed research for the report. "Homeland security guards told these mothers that DSS had already taken their children, that they had already lost their children.” Shapiro continued, “A detainee told me the worst night of her life was spent listening to the weeping of mothers who thought they had already lost their children. That is torture, and we have to take a …”stand against that."

During the crisis in New Bedford, Dr. Amaro Laria, Director of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, volunteered his services to help with the initial intake of affected families. “It was one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult experience that I've encountered in terms of mental health in my profession." Laria continued, “One of the most devastating experiences that any individual can have is an abrupt separation in early childhood from a significant parent," stated Dr. Amaro Laria.

"Legally we will be dealing with this for years. This raid has really overwhelmed the legal resources available for immigration work," stated Nancy Kelly, the Supervising Attorney of the Immigration Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services. "You have to understand, people have recourse, they do have legal rights. A large number of people who were arrested have claims to asylum.” Kelly continued, "What we've also seen is the fear that is now taking hold of the broader immigrant community. In some cases, people who don't even have a legal problem are assuming this will happen. It translates into, 'if you are an immigrant you could lose your child.'"