BY AMANDA ULMAN
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa - More than 250 people marched in a
vigil for immigrants' rights at the Marshall County
Courthouse in this central Iowa town.
The March 28 vigil was called by the Ad Hoc Committee for Human Rights and the Hispanic Ministry of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Local 1149 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) endorsed the event. Its purpose was to oppose the "Operation Vanguard" campaign of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which has just been extended to Iowa. As part of this program, already being carried out in Nebraska, the INS subpoenas copies of packinghouse personnel files to review against national data on INS computers. The immigration cops then demand that companies fire workers who they claim have bad papers.
In addition, the march opposed the "English as the common language" law, which was recently passed by the Iowa State Senate and is now before the Iowa State House. Commonly called the "English only" law, this measure would cut funding for bilingual services. As well, the march opposed the efforts being promoted in many municipalities to deputize local police to arrest and detain those they suspect of being undocumented immigrants. Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican from Iowa, is a major proponent of this process. Recent mobilizations of opposition in Sioux City and Marshalltown, Iowa, pushed back such proposals.
Marchers carried candles and signs in English and Spanish that read "We want justice so we can live in peace," "Stop Operation Vanguard," "Today the immigrants; tomorrow who?" and "Don't panic, we are only Hispanic." Many placards had been made the night before on the dining room table of an activist in the Ad Hoc Committee for Human Rights. A dozen or so people contributed ideas on what to write, and added their artistic and spelling advice. They also made armbands for security monitors, called co-workers and friends to sign them up for the security team, and punched holes in plastic cups to convert them into candle shields.
The march began as more than 100 people gathered outside St. Mary's Catholic Church after the Spanish-language mass and walked to the courthouse a few blocks away. As marchers walked around the courthouse, they were joined by others. Many of the participants were workers from the Swift and Company packinghouse that employs 1,950 production workers in a pork cut and kill operation in Marshalltown. Most of these workers are members of UFCW Local 1149. Other packinghouse workers came from Perry, Iowa, where there is an IBP slaughterhouse, and a few who work at the Des Moines, Iowa, packing plant.
Ramón Pérez, a participant in the vigil who has worked at Swift for four years, said, "We are workers, not criminals."
Another Swift worker, José Ortíz, said, "If they pass this law [giving the cops INS powers], the police could come to your house and check everybody." He added that although he is a U.S. citizen and his four children were born in the United States, "to immigration and the police, if you look Hispanic, they pull you over. When you're walking in the street you feel nervous."
While most participants were Latinos, there were others there, including clergy from local churches, U.S.-born workers from the Swift plant, and others. Farmer activist Larry Ginter, from nearby Rhodes, Iowa, marched in the vigil and spoke at the rally afterwards. Ginter, who was well- received by the crowd, said, "To call someone illegal is an attempt by those who sit in seats of power and wealth to divide all workers whether they are naturalized citizens or immigrant workers.... From where I am sitting, it is the harsh working conditions in U.S. packing plants, in the underground sweat shops, and in the fields of America that are illegal."
Workers from the Swift plant carried the UFCW Local 1149 banner at the head of the procession. Union secretary- treasurer Ross Boyer marched and spoke as well. "Our union is opposed to Operation Vanguard," Boyer said. "I am really pleased to see so many people here today."
The rally was chaired by José Luis Avalos, 22, and Gladys Grimaldo, 19, both leaders of the Ad Hoc Committee for Human Rights. Speakers included Sandra Sánchez, director of the American Friends Service Committee's Immigrant Rights Project, several workers from the Swift and IBP plants, as well as Father Bernard Grady of St. Mary's.
Maggie Trowe, a member of Local 1149 and of the Ad Hoc Committee for Human Rights, said, "If those of us born here are deluded into thinking that the economic and social problems we face come from Mexican workers who leave a ravaged economy looking for a way to feed their families, then we are not just deceived - we are diverted from seeing the real problem is the dog-eat-dog capitalist system that in its crisis tries to blame its victims. But today we are saying we refuse to be deceived.... We will not be victims of divide-and-conquer tactics." Trowe was the Socialist Workers candidate for U.S. Senate from Iowa in 1998.
Alberto Guzmán, a member of Local 1149 who works at the IBP plant in Perry, 60 miles away, greeted the crowd, saying, "I've come to support you here. We also have the same problems in Perry. By supporting each other, all together, we can begin to move ahead."
Ramona Chávez, a member of Local 1149 in Marshalltown and a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Human Rights said, "This isn't the end here today. This is very positive, but it is just a beginning." The Ad Hoc Committee on Human Rights is preparing a public meeting on immigrant rights in Marshalltown in mid-April. It is also building the State-wide Meeting for Immigrant Rights in Perry, Iowa, on April 24. The meeting is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.
Amanda Ulman is a member of UFCW Local 1149 in Marshalltown, Iowa. Joanne Murphy and Mark Weddleton contributed to this article.