Shattered Dreams ― The Story of a Historic Ice Raid in the Words of the Detainees

This is a joint publication of Floricanto and Berkeley Presses.In May of 2008, the small town of Postville, Iowa, experienced an Immigration Raid in which nearly 400 Latino immigrant workers in the meat processing industry were arrested. The Postville Raid, the second largest in U.S. history, was the first and last of its kind. Instead of immediately deporting the undocumented, they were tried in groups of ten on charges of identity theft and then sent to jail for 5 ? months. A group of 40 women were arrested but released with GPS monitors on their ankles so that they could care for young children, and were held in Postville for over a year during which they were not allowed to work to support their families. These are the life stories, told in their own words, of some of the workers who were affected by the raid. The immigrant families,with special emphasis on women and children, share the stories of their childhoods, the decision and the journey to “El Norte,” working at the meat processing plant, and the raid and its aftermath. These true stories vividly portray the fear, violence and harassment that is the lot of those who are “undocumented,” but also shows their strength of spirit in the face of poverty-stricken childhoods, dangerous border crossings, inhumane working conditions, and as they experienced the U.S. legal and penal system. "The long-silenced voices of the humble migrants victimized by the infamous federal raid at Postville, Iowa are recovered at last in this volume, where they coalesce into a gentle mallet that strikes at the gong of our national conscience, issuing a wake-up call to our humanity. Our only dignified answer should be fair and lasting immigration reform." --Erik Camayd-Freixas, author of U.S. Immigration Reform and its Global Impact: Lessons from the Postville Raid. “An earthquake would not have been able to plunge Postville into a greater sense of loss and confusion than the federal government did that day. I remember the stories of the parents and the children who could not find each other, a community simply devastated by the raid, and the religious community stepping up to help, provide shelter, and provide information in the vacuum. Postville instantly became iconic in the community for why we need immigration reform and it is still an image that haunts and inspires me. And it is a story that must be told and remembered.”Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, U.S. House of Representatives (IL-04) The authors dedicate this book to the women and men who generously shared their testimonies of the Postville ICE raid.“It was both my privilege and challenge to serve as the Pastoral Administrator of St. Bridget’s Parish in Postville, Iowa at the time of the notorious and disgraceful immigration raid at Agriprocessors on May 12, 2008. This experience convinced me that the “Postville Story” needed to be told and retold, for the sharing of a story can have a profound impact on our lives. Stories shape our lives. Stories inspire. Stories bring to life our deepest held values and beliefs. Stories inform and stories have the potential to transform. My hope is that the stories within this sacred text will have the power, not only to transform individual hearts, but ultimately to transform our current immigration policy. “ Sister Mary McCauley, BVM