The Postville Raid: A Small Town's Struggle with Immigration Enforcement

Postville is a small town in northeastern Iowa that gained international attention in 2008 when it was the site of a large-scale immigration raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The raid, which took place on May 28, 2008, targeted Agriprocessors, Inc., a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville that employed over 900 workers, many of whom were undocumented immigrants from Guatemala.
The raid was the largest single-workplace immigration enforcement action in U.S. history at the time, and it had a profound impact on the town of Postville and its residents. The raid resulted in the arrest and detention of over 300 workers, many of whom were later deported. The raid also exposed the vulnerabilities of the town's immigrant community and raised questions about the treatment of undocumented workers in the United States.
The Postville raid was widely covered in the media and sparked a national debate about immigration policy and enforcement. It also led to a number of legal challenges and protests, including a boycott of Agriprocessors products by some Jewish organizations. In the aftermath of the raid, the town of Postville struggled to recover from the economic and social impacts of the action, and it has continued to grapple with the complex issues surrounding immigration and border control.