Take 15 minutes today and watch this very moving Frontline documentary about the devastating effect of the Postville, Iowa ICE raid on the town and on the two villages in Guatemala where the immigrants came from. http://bit.ly/GWBVu
The Postville operation was the largest ICE raid in U.S. history and resulted in the arrest, detention, and convictions of nearly 400 undocumented workers, most of whom were poor, uneducated Guatemalan farmers.
It makes me wonder what Iowa leaders are doing to help the people of Postville, who now live in economic ruin; especially Senator Tom Harkin, who has never condemed the unjust Postville prosecutions nor visited the town since the raid, yet recommended Stephanie Rose, one of the lead Postville prosecutors, to be U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa.
Clearly Tom Harkin doesn't care about human rights or the people of Postville let alone the injustice of the Postville Prosecutions–he is trying to promote Postville prosecutor to United State Attorney in Nothern Iowa!
More information on Postville and Harkin—
"See http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2009/07/commentary-on-us-attorney-nominee-and-postville.html
(On), June 30, 2009, the community of Postville , Iowa sought to have a dialogue with Senator Harkin and Stephanie Rose, his nominee to be the next United States Attorney of the Northern District of Iowa about the Postville prosecutions and her role in the prosecutions. KWWL television (NBC station in Waterloo , Iowa ) did cover the meeting. The report is disturbing on several fronts: See http://tinyurl.com/mq3my4
Stephanie Rose failed to attend or even send a written statement to the community.
Senator Harkin failed to attend. The U.S. Senate is in recess this week where was Harkin?
Harkin has been a no show in Postville since the May 2008 ICE raid and prosecutions. Further, Harkin has never condemned the ICE raid and prosecutions. Harkin has not joined in the wide-spread call for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Postville prosecutions. ( See http://tinyurl.com/ktrulf and http://tinyurl.com/q3a27c)
The Harkin representative (unnamed) who did attend the meeting claimed not be able to appear before the camera. What kind of baloney is that? Why wouldn't the Harkin rep go on camera?
The Harkin representative who attended repeated the same tired line about Stephanie Rose having no responsibility for the Postville prosecutions. Hogwash!
Why doesn't Senator Harkin and Stephanie Rose condemn the Postville Raid and Prosecutions ?
Why don't Senator Harkin and Stephanie Rose support the wide-spread call for a DOJ Investigation of the Postville Prosecutions
Clearly, Senator Harkin's and Stephanie Rose's response to the Postville community's invitation was just another of their attempts to sweep the Postville prosecutions under the rug. This insult should not be allowed to stand. More sunshine is required on Stephanie Rose and her role in the Postville prosecutions.