BY MAGGIE TROWE
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa-Organized protest activity by immigrant
packinghouse workers and their supporters in this rural Iowa
town pushed back a proposal to deputize city police with the
power to arrest and begin the deportation process for those
they suspect of lacking valid immigration papers.
The plan to give the police powers that now are limited to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) agents is being promoted by Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican from Iowa. Marshalltown city officials indicated in February they would adopt the program.
This caused concern among workers at the Swift pork processing plant, where many of the 1,950 workers are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1149. More than half are immigrant workers from Mexico. At the same time, workers are concerned because the INS recently announced it would extend "Operation Vanguard" from Nebraska into Iowa. Under Operation Vanguard, INS officials will seek subpoenas to enter packinghouse personnel offices and take files to their offices to check against national data. They then intend to make lists of "illegal" workers and order companies to fire them.
Workers began discussing these attacks in the company lunchroom. "We've got to do something to protest this," one worker said. Several unionists who are part of the Hispanic Ministry group at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Marshalltown initiated the idea of a protest.
A meeting of 12 workers, who called themselves the Ad Hoc Committee for Human Rights, called for a protest at the Marshall County courthouse for March 7. This was postponed to March 28 when the mayor of Marshalltown refused to grant a permit.
Undaunted, the workers put their focus on a March 10 public meeting of the City Council's Community Protection Committee, which was called to hear the proposal to deputize the police. Flyers encouraging a large turnout at the public meeting were posted and distributed at the Swift plant.
As a result, some 150 people - more than half of them packinghouse workers -showed up for the hearing at the City Council chambers. Marshalltown chief of police Lon Walker was clearly shocked by the large turnout, which spilled out into the corridor. He announced that for the time being he was recommending the city not pursue the deputization. He said the reason was lack of funds in this year's budget.
After Walker's announcement, a number of people spoke against the proposal. Speakers included UFCW Local 1149 secretary-treasurer Ross Boyer, Father Bernie Grady of the Hispanic Ministry, and others.
The mood of the crowd was festive as they filed out of the meeting hall.
The next night 32 people met to plan the upcoming vigil. At the vigil, participants will march around the courthouse, carrying candles and placards, before assembling for a rally. Rally speakers will include a representative of the Hispanic Ministry, unionists, immigrant rights activists, and local farm activist Larry Ginter.
Maggie Trowe is a member of UFCW Local 1149 in Marshalltown.