Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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Following a personal visit to the small northeastern town of Postville, a community that has faced more than its share of challenges in the wake of a massive May immigration raid, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is encouraging federal agencies that continue to have a stake in the incident’s aftermath to reach their conclusions as quickly as possible.
“While I was in Postville, I saw the impact on the community of an irresponsible employer who apparently ignored worker safety and worker rights laws,” Braley wrote in a letter today to Matt Dummermuth, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, and John Torres, acting assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The community of Postville is struggling to stay afloat. Church groups have provided food, shelter and clothing to hundreds of people since the May 12 raid. They have been caring for the families of detainees because they are in limbo, but they don’t have the resources to care for these people forever.”
Braley encouraged the officials to expedite the hearings of employees and employers who have been charged with crimes.
In another letter written today, Braley praised newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for providing over $2 million in outstanding payments to previously unpaid livestock auctions and sellers who sold to Agriprocessors in Postville. He also requested that the USDA reassess Postville’s loan payment schedule on a sewage treatment facility that primarily benefited the meatpacking plant. Although Agriprocessors signed a payment agreement with the city in July 2004, the company, languishing in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, has defaulted.
“I encourage the USDA to give fair and prompt consideration to the city’s request to reassess their loan payment schedule and coordinate with elected officials to find a solution that works for Postville and the USDA,” Braley wrote. “I hope that USDA can be a partner to the Postville community during these challenging times.”
Braley, a Democrat representing Iowa’s 1st District, visited the community on Jan. 29. While there he met with church leaders, school officials, business people and elected officials. The letters written today were in response to the information he gathered during his time in the community.
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