With hard-to-find workers, the crackdown on immigration leaves the city of Iowa tied: NPR

A year ago, one morning, federal immigration agents invaded the Midwest Precast Concrete plant in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and arrested 32 men who were working there illegally.

"I was eating, when suddenly they all arrived," said a worker at NPR. "They got me out of the car and handcuffed me, as well as to all the others – they even had a dog." The worker did not want his name to be used because his case is heard by a judge.

His fate is at the center of a debate about immigration – and an economic problem – in this community of Iowa and nationwide. Mount Pleasant is in Henry County, where the 2.3% unemployment rate is so low that employers are struggling to fill 300 vacancies.

At the same time, the concrete worker and many of his colleagues from Mexico and Central America, who were arrested last year, are waiting for deportation hearings and are not allowed to work. legally.

He was afraid of "losing everything," he said. "My family, my job, years of sacrifice and hard work."

For Ted Wiley, hiring workers for his small family-owned business in Mount Pleasant is a game of chance.

It's so hard to find good employees that Wiley can never be sure that new employees will show up for work, even if he's willing to train them and pay what he considers a decent salary .

"It's so hard to get people to the door just to sit down and interview," says Wiley. "You're scared to frighten them, no matter what you do, they will not show up until the first day of work."

Like many business owners in Iowa, Wiley explains that one of the solutions to the chronic labor shortage is to encourage more outsiders to move to the state, including immigrants.

"I have no doubt that there are immigrants coming into the country who should not be here, that's for sure," said Wiley. "I know that many of them come to the country to improve the lives of their families, and they do not differ from others, and for me, we have room for them."

It's a controversial position across Iowa, where the state has passed legislation aimed at discouraging illegal immigration. It is also home to some of the most outspoken critics of illegal immigration, including Republican Rep. Steve King.

Last year's immigration raid sparked a debate in Mount Pleasant as to who should be allowed into the community and who was responsible for the fault. Is it the men who work illegally or the company that hired them?

A pantry was set up at the First Presbyterian Church to help feed the men and their families. Meetings were held to support the men and a local immigration group called Iowa WINS helped them financially.

But some residents of Mount Pleasant have "hardened their hearts" against men, said Rev. Trey Hegar, pastor of the church.

"There were people who said," Well, that's what you get. "If you are here illegally or without papers, there was little compassion or understanding for that," he says.

Some locals say they do not have a problem with people coming from other countries arriving in Iowa. They simply do not like illegal immigration. They suggest that businesses pay more to attract Aboriginal Iowans to the labor market. Many believe that businesses want to hire immigrants for the wrong reasons.

"It's just because they can pay them less money to work as many hours or more," says Chelsea Sammons, who works part-time in a convenience store. Sammons says that often when she applies for a full-time job in the region, she is never waiting.

The debate in Mount Pleasant is similar to the one in Iowa, where one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

Many business leaders are concerned that voices such as Representative King 's send a message saying that Iowa does not want immigrants.

In February, business leaders formed the Iowa Compact on Immigration, a group aimed at highlighting the positive role that immigrants can play in the state economy. Leaders say that inviting nationals from other countries can give new impetus to the state. Iowa has not traditionally attracted a lot of strangers, at least in recent years.

But such arguments go against the tide in Iowa, where opposition to illegal immigration remains strong.

A bill, passed by the Iowa Senate, would require employers to use E-Verify, the federal voluntary program to check the immigration status of new employees. And the Legislative Assembly passed a bill banning sanctuary towns for undocumented workers.

State Sen. Julian Garrett, who sponsored the E-Verify Bill, said he understood Iowa lacks manpower. He added that the state had taken steps to encourage aboriginal Iowans who do not have jobs to return to the labor market.

He says that he is not opposed to immigration – as long as it is legal.

"If you are an honest employer, if you abide by the law and your competitor on the street breaks the law, hire people who are here illegally," Garrett said. "It's not fair."

Kristi Ray, executive vice president of the Mount Pleasant Chamber Alliance, said that last year's Midwest Concrete raid underscores how the country's immigration system is shattered.

"Who is to blame?" The guy who bought the illegal social security number, they wanted to go to work.They wanted to take care of their family.The company needs workers.That's why the company has to pay for it. Immigration is a difficult problem, "she says.

Ray went to Washington with other business leaders to encourage lawmakers to try and tackle the employers' problem.

Meanwhile, many men arrested last year at Midwest Precast Concrete are still in the area waiting for their deportation hearing.

If the worker who did not want his name to be used is deported to Mexico, his wife says that she is ready to follow him.

"I have lived in Iowa all my life," she says. "My children are born here in Iowa, but to keep my children separate from their father, we will do what we must do to be with him."

The men arrested last year are caught in a sort of Catch-22. If they go back to their home country before their hearings, they lose their obligations and are considered criminals by US law.

But because they are not allowed to work legally, they have no way to support themselves. They are coping with the help of local churches and an immigration friendly group.

For example, a worker who did not want his name to be used spends a lot of time these days waiting at home, even though many employers in the area beg for candidates.