Perspectives differ on the efficacy of raids to discourage undocumented workers

So that you know: this story is posted by Associated Press and since they've been suing folks who quote their stories, or show any of their pictures, without payment (I plan to attribute them, not pay them), if this blog suddenly ceases, it may be that the mighty AP has descended: 2 Iowa towns, 2 views on immigration raids

POSTVILLE, Iowa - For immigrant advocates, the raid on a meatpacking plant in Postville last May was evidence of all that is wrong with large-scale arrests of illegal workers.

Families were hurt, and empty shops and lines at the food bank show that the town was, too. One rental agency says nearly 70 percent of its properties are vacant. The City Council even sought a federal disaster designation because of the lingering effects of the raid on the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse.

"At what point do we acknowledge that the system is so broken that we're no longer willing to participate?" wondered Maryn Olson, a coordinator with Postville Response Coalition, a group established after the raid.

But as the Obama administration considers a new policy on immigration raids, another Iowa town less than 100 miles away has emerged from a raid on its largest employer with a different perspective.

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