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.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Two federally elected Republicans have made a written plea to the Iowa Attorney General’s office for “expedited consideration” of the alleged 57 child labor violations at a Postville kosher meatpacking plant.
U.S. Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa)
“This letter reinforces my belief that nobody is above the law and any investigation of potential violations of our child labor laws needs to be taken very seriously,” said U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, whose district includes the portion of Postville that houses the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant. “We must ensure that no action blocks or impedes a full investigation by all applicable agencies.”
The letter, signed by both Latham and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, outlines the process by which Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reviews and decides stays of deportation. The two officials, citing concern voiced by Iowa Labor Commissioner David Neil that possible witnesses to conditions at Agriprocessors are being deported before being full disposed, request the cases of possible child labor violation be handled quickly and that all information gathered during the investigation be forwarded to Chertoff.
U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
“It’s important that any potential labor violations be considered as quickly as possible so that these young people are not living in limbo longer than necessary,” Grassley said in a prepared statement. “It would be unfortunate for Secretary Chertoff to make decisions on their status without having a full understanding of the allegations and the importance of these children to the case.”
According to the members of Uri L’Tzedek, a grassroots Jewish Orthodox social justice organization, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller was on the ground in Postville on Aug. 12 as part of the ongoing investigation.
At least one person described in court documents as a “material witness” was released back into Postville this week with an ankle tracking device. The release came after Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza, a former beef floor supervisor at Agriprocessors, pleaded guilty to both encouraging illegal immigration at the Postville plant and conspiring to encourage it.
Agriprocessors, the nation’s largest kosher meatpacking plant, was the location of the largest single-site federal immigration action in history. A total of 389 workers, primarily Guatemalan and Mexican, were detained that day. Most were charged on criminal charges related to identity theft and quickly convicted.
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