You Speak for Me, CIRC: Postville, IA Raid a National Disgrace

I'm posting this media release in full because it speaks for me, too.

President Bush Must Act to Stop Destruction of Families and
Communities Through Raids and Deportations

Statement by the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition

DENVER, CO – In response to Monday’s raid by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Postville, Iowa, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) released the following statement:

“We stand with the families of Postville, Iowa torn apart by Monday’s massive immigration raid. Nearly 400 hard working immigrants, already exploited in deplorable working conditions, now find their lives turned upside down by a quasi-military operation in our own heartland. The images and horrific accounts in Iowa mirror the ICE raid in Greeley, Colorado eighteen months ago that orphaned children and separated hundreds of families. Once again, at a time when the nation’s economy is already fragile, especially in smaller communities, it is outrageous and inhumane that this Administration would use American tax dollars to turn community cattle auction grounds into an immigration detention camp.

“We urge President Bush and the Presidential candidates to take a stand for humane and rational immigration policy and to put an immediate stop to these reckless raids that have done nothing to fix our broken immigration system. Dividing families, sewing fear in communities and herding hundreds of people in chains onto cattle
grounds are an insult to our nation’s values.

“We stand for a set of values that respects the civil liberties of all Americans, values workers and worker protections, and brings Americans – immigrant and non-immigrant alike – together to address the issues that we all face. Postville was founded by German and Norwegian immigrants, and then in 1987 economically revived by Hasidic Jews that built the largest Kosher meat packing plant in the town. Now many Guatemalan, Mexican, Ukrainian, and Russian immigrants work at the plant, attend schools, and fill Postville’s churches. Instead of integrating immigrants into the life of our nation, our government is disintegrating and destroying whole
communities.”
###

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) is a statewide membership-based coalition of immigrant, faith, labor, youth, and ally organizations founded in 2002 to build a unified statewide voice to defend and advance justice for all immigrants and refugees in Colorado and the U.S.

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Contact: Julien Ross 720-290-1125