Braley and Latham Differences Mirror Ongoing National Immigration Debate

Braley Demands Tougher Oversight of Agriprocessors
Latham Urges Immigration Reform

Iowa -- in particular the small town of Postville -- is currently at the core of a long-waged public debate on immigration. The federal operation there on May 12, the aftermath of deportations and criminal sentencing, as well as the current silence in relation to the investigation against the employer encompass the multitude of issues surrounding immigration and emotions provoked by such government action. As local residents attempt to work through their own often conflicting viewpoints on both responsibility and reform, they need look no further than two of their own congressmen to see how differently two men can react and respond to the same situation.

Late this afternoon, Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat representing Iowa's 1st District, issued one of many press releases regarding Agriprocessors, the kosher meatpacking plant that was the site of the nation's largest single site immigration raid on May 12. In this particular release, Braley blasts the decision by Iowa regulators to reduce the fees accessed to the company for workplace health and safety violations.

"I understand your rationale [that fines should be used as deterrents and that correction of violations should be your primary focus,] and agree that the safety of Iowa workers should be the top priority," Braley wrote today in a letter to Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil. "However, Agriprocessors presents a unique situation. This employer has a long and questionable workplace safety track record. Recent public statements by the owner of Agriprocessors show a disregard for worker safety and enforcement of the law."

Strong and very public commentary in relation to Agriprocessors as well as government agencies in relation to the raid and its aftermath is not a new development for Braley. He has issued several press releases and public statements in the wake of the federal immigration raid, leaving little doubt as to his views, frustrations and actions on behalf of his constituents.

While there is no doubt such activity provides a unique opportunity for the public to peep inside the office and mind of an elected official, there is also little doubt that this avenue of information distribution is not the only available response.

While the differences between the public response by Braley and Congrassman Tom Latham, a Republican representing Iowa's 4th District, have been previously noted, it is also worth noting that a lack of statements targeted to the press and public do not necessarily indicate a lack of action. A complete picture requires documenting both the public and the private.

Earlier today Latham released a public statement that called for lawmakers to "deport immigration rhetoric" and "embrace real reform." A search of the press release archive on his Web site shows this to be the first public statement he has made since the immigration raid.

"The stark reality is that years of neglect and enforcement of our immigration laws have created a broken system of which there is no easy fix," Latham wrote in the prepared statement. "It must take an effort by both parties, Republicans and Democrats, to drop the bickering and grand standing and work together to achieve a common-sense plan to fix the issue of immigration. For the sake of everyone involved, I pledge to vote for sensible immigration reform, brought to Congress in a bipartisan fashion, where people from both parties are working together for America's common good. That's the Iowa way. That's Iowa common sense."

Since first learning about the raid, Latham has worked quietly with other community and elected officials to see what role he could and would play.

"The answer to this question is a good indication of how broken the entire system really is," said James Carstensen, chief of staff for Latham, when asked when and how the congressman first learned of the raid. "We were first notified of the raid by a news organization -- not Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Homeland Security -- after it had begun. Our understanding was that other government officials were notified prior to the raid. When an inquiry was made as to why we did not receive standard notification of the action the reply was that ICE was unaware that Postville was in Congressman Latham's district. This prevented our office from following up as quickly as the congressman would have liked."

Within hours of learning that the raid had taken place and that nearly 400 individuals suspected of immigration violations had taken place, Latham -- just like Braley -- sent staff to tour the makeshift detention facilities at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo. Members of Latham's staff also visited the community of Postville within 24 hours of the federal action. Carstensen said that staff members had "numerous" conversations with with ICE agents, the U.S. Attorney and his staff, U.S. Marshal deputies and with a federal judge and her court staff.

The following week, in between debating the farm bill, Latham participated in a conference call with Postville Mayor Robert Penrod and other local community leaders and residents.

"It was a good, honest discussion where many points of view and questions were asked," Carstensen said. "A staff member from the district was on hand to take any follow-up questions and concerns. Congressman Latham said that he is here to help the community with answers and available resources from the federal level as they determine their own needs."

Determining Postville's need and, more importantly, addressing that need, is going to be a long-term proposition, according to Penrod.

"We're trying to get back to normal," Penrod said in an interview at Postville City Hall on Wednesday. "We're trying to get people back in [to the community] to work at Agriprocessors -- family-oriented people. It's a slow process, but I hope we are going down the right roads to meet that goal."

While there is much that could be written about the different response styles of Latham and Braley in relation to the immigration raid, Penrod said he's been disappointed throughout the process when seeking help from other agencies and government representatives.

"It's been difficult to get a response," he said. "I think that was because of a combination of things. ICE had to do its thing. They were in charge and I think many just had to sit back and let it take its course. I think the other governmental agencies just sort of stood back and waited to see what the impact was and to see where things were going. I still think that's the case."

The 389 people detained by ICE during the immigration raid on Agriprocessors represented roughly 18 percent of Postville's population. To put that figure in perspective, if same percentage of population were removed from Des Moines, the city would be missing nearly 100,000 people. For the Chicagoland area, 18 percent of the population equals 1.75 million people.