IMMIGRATION

Iowans are not out of the pandemic woods yet. Times are difficult and the federal stimulus checks will be a relief for many, but not for all. Last month Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, giving a package of more than $2 trillion of economic assistance. This package will provide a…

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout Iowa, focus has turned to the state’s meat packing plants as virus hotspots. In West Liberty, the state’s first Hispanic-majority town, the community’s largest employer is reporting an outbreak of coronavirus cases. As of April 30, West Liberty Foods has reported that 71 employees at its West Liberty location…

Después de algunas semanas de hablar con los trabajadores latinos y otros trabajadores inmigrantes de la industria de empacadoras de carne, me di cuenta de que muchos de ellos tienen dos cosas importantes en común: una es el miedo a perder su trabajo, la segunda es la voz rotunda de sus hijos. Esta nueva generación…

After a few weeks of talking to Latino and other immigrant workers from the meat packing industry, I realized that many of them have two significant things in common: One is fear of losing their jobs, second is the resounding voice of their children. This new generation of young professionals are scared and angry. They…

My phone rang days after we published an article about the COVID-19 clusters surging in meat packing plants in Iowa. It was a woman, a plant employee, who told me, “We got a text to let us know that we have to show up tomorrow for work, first thing in the morning.” Although I didn’t…

My phone rang days after we published an article about the COVID-19 clusters surging in meat packing plants in Iowa. It was a woman, a plant employee, who told me, “We got a text to let us know that we have to show up tomorrow for work, first thing in the morning.” Although I didn’t…

At today’s press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Kim Reynolds whether she had spoken with the workers who were worried that they were being forced to show up to unsafe work conditions. Reynolds replied by turning it back on employees. “That’s a part of educating, you heard me say, not just the employers but the…

At today’s press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Kim Reynolds whether she had spoken with the workers who were worried that they were being forced to show up to unsafe work conditions. Reynolds replied by turning it back on employees. “That’s a part of educating, you heard me say, not just the employers but the…

At today’s press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Kim Reynolds whether she had spoken with the workers who were worried that they were being forced to show up to unsafe work conditions. Reynolds replied by turning it back on employees. “That’s a part of educating, you heard me say, not just the employers but the…

Widespread outbreaks at meat packing plants in the Midwest are quickly becoming the latest crisis in the ongoing pandemic. Hundreds of workers, many of whom are immigrants and refugees, are becoming sick, some have already died, and the resulting plant closures are risking the nation’s food supply chain. In Iowa, a significant percentage of the…