National: May 2008 Archives

Uri L'Tzedek, a grassroots Orthodox social justice initiative, has penned a letter to Aaron Rubashkin, founder of the Agriprocessors Corporation, expressing displeasure with the company's ethical practices. The letter, which makes demands for federal minimum wages, workplace and worker safety and ethical treatment, has drawn the approval of hundreds of U.S. kosher meat consumers.

"We only expected a few committed individuals to sign on initially," explained Shmuly Yanklowitz, founder and co-director of Uri L'Tzedek. "Instead, we've received hundreds upon hundreds of e-mails and phone calls of support, asking how to get involved, and where to find alternatives to Agriprocessors' meat."

Among the signers are 200 pulpit rabbis, Hillel directors, day school principals, educators and other Jewish community leaders.

"I think our community is realizing that there is a lot at stake here," Yanklowitz said. "This is an opportunity for us to see whether or not we, as a religious community, can uphold the reputation of religious Jewry for being an ethical and moral people and to see if we can really take the ethics of Torah seriously. It's an opportunity for our community to act with urgency and commitment to counteract the immense chillul hashem that's been created."

In Hebrew, "chillul hashem" means "desecration of God's name."

The letter makes three demands:

1. Agriprocessors pay all its workers at least the federal minimum wage.
2. Agriprocessors recommit to abide by all federal, state and local laws including those pertaining to worker safety, sexual harassment, physical abuse, and the rights of its employees to collective bargaining.
3. Agriprocessors treat those who work for the company according to the standards that the Torah and halakha places on protecting workers -- standards that include the spirit of lifnim meshurat hadin, meaning going beyond the bare minimum requirements of the law.

The letter by this organization comes on the heels of the Jewish Labor Committee calling for "Agriprocessors to live up to the responsibilities of corporate citizenship" and urging consumers of kosher meat products to seek alternatives to the Rubashkin labels.

Finding alternatives to Rubashkin's meats, however, may be easier said than done.

Agriprocessors produces about 60 percent of the kosher meat and 40 percent of the kosher poultry in the U.S. market. The company's brands include Aaron's Best, Aaron's Choice, European Glatt, Nevel, Shor Harbor, Rubashkin's, Supreme Kosher, David's and Iowa's Best. Two-thirds of their products are nonkosher, and are sold through retailers including Wal-Mart and Trader Joe's. Sales of kosher beef and poultry in America are about $300 million annually, and a Dunn & Bradstreet report lists Rubashkin Industries, which includes real estate and other ventures in addition to meat, with an annual income of $84.9 million.

In April, roughly a month prior to the Immigration and Custom Enforcement action on the plant, Agriprocessors lost one of its three kosher supervising agencies. K'hal Adath Jeshurun ended its supervision of all Agriprocessors products effective April 15 in a letter sent to Aaron Rubashkin in December. The letter, while not revealing the reason for the change, did indicate that Agriprocessors had appealed the supervising agency's original decision to terminate the relationship.

In addition People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animals' rights group that sent an undercover worker to the Postville plant in 2004, wrote a letter to Gov. Chet Culver in the wake of the raid that encouraged him to "put pressure on applicable state and local authorities to revoke all operating licenses for Agriprocessors."

Social Security Administration Compliance Letters Ceased After 2006

The politically-connected meatpacking company where almost 400 undocumented workers were arrested earlier this month ignored repeated government warnings about the use of false identification papers amongst its employees, according to a federal immigration investigator.

Immigration agent David Hoagland reported in a sworn affidavit filed before the May 12 raid in Postville that Agriprocessors, Inc., the kosher food supplier owned by FNTK Ryboshkim, received a dozen letters from the Social Security Administration in 2005 and 2006.

The letters stated that up to 78 percent of the businesses' workforce provided Social Security information that did not match with government records. In all, the letters detailed more than 3,000 discrepancies from tax years 2000 to 2005. In some instances, the name the Social Security Administration (SSA) had assigned to a specific number differed from the name reported by Agriprocessors on wage and tax statements. In other instances, the number provided by Agriprocessors had never been assigned to an individual.

"Agriprocessors has repeatedly been made aware that large numbers of its employees were using Social Security numbers that have discrepancies for each tax year from 2000 to 2005," Hoagland stated, adding there is "probable cause" to believe most its employees used fraudulent documents.

The letters ceased in 2007, according to Hoagland. Asked why such letters would not be sent, John Garlinger, regional communications director for the SSA, said by telephone on Friday that he could not immediately provide an answer.

While 302 of 389 workers arrested at the plant, most of them from Guatemala or Mexico, have pled guilty to criminal or immigration violations, no one from the company has been charged.

Jim Fallon, spokesman for Agriprocessors, did not return a request for comment. The firm announced Friday that its chief executive officer, Sholom Rubashkin, will be replaced.

An official at the Iowa Labor Commission has confirmed that Agriprocessors was under investigation for possible child labor and wage law violations at the time of the raid. Federal officials will not comment on the possibility of an investigation into Agriprocessors, but one local immigrants rights advocate said Friday that he has received a grand jury summons related to the company.

The community of Postville is divided into both the 1st and 4th Congressional Districts. Bruce Braley, a Democrat who represents Iowa's 1st District, has called for an investigation of Agriprocessors. Tom Latham, a Republican who represents Iowa's 4th District, stated Friday that he believes that "all entities who violate the law are culpable."

The firm is led by the Aaron Rubashkin family, a New York City butcher who revolutionized the kosher food industry in the late 1980s by introducing mass production techniques. The Rubashkin family gave nearly $6,000 to the Republican Party of Iowa from 2002 to 2004, and has given roughly $65,000 to other Republican candidates, current elected officials and Republican Party committees since 2000.

The Rubashkin family also gave a $3,000 campaign contribution to Gov. Chet Culver during his gubernatorial bid and $5,000 to Lt. Gov. Patty Judge's gubernatorial bid before she merged her campaign with Culver's. Judge, who has been named by Culver to lead a task force in relation to Postville in the raid aftermath, also received $5,000 from the Rubashkin family in 2005 when she served as secretary of agriculture.

On Friday, the Jewish Labor Committee called on Agriprocessors to "live up to the responsibilities of corporate citizenship," and urged consumers of kosher meat products to boycott the Rubashkin labels until that happens.

Social Security Administration Correspondence With Agriprocessors
Date	SS# Discepencies	Tax Year
May 9, 2002	22	2001
May 19, 2005	500	2004
May 19, 2005	500	2003
May 19, 2005	500	2002
May 19, 2005	500	2001
May 19, 2005	461	2000
March 24, 2006	52	2004
March 24, 2006	42	2003
March 24, 2006	37	2002
March 24, 2006	24	2000
April 21, 2006	68	2005
May 5, 2006	500	2005

EDCOR letters have been routinely sent out by the Social Security Administration since 1994 to employers that reports more than 10 "no matches" that represent more than 0.5 percent of all wage and tax statements submitted. The notices advise the employer of the discrepancies and requests corrected information.

Small plumes of smoke from newly extinguished candles rose in the sanctuary of Immaculate Conception Parish in downtown Cedar Rapids as a young Hispanic man, Sergao, explained why it was important for him to come to the church and pray for all affected by the recent immigration raids in Postville.

"It was important to pray for all of the people who are suffering and about the changes that have happened in their lives," he said. "There needs to be a stand of solidarity -- it is important for all Christians to pray about the circumstance, to pray for there to be changes."

Rev. Nils Hernandez, who is an associate pastor at Immaculate Conception and leads the Hispanic ministry there, visited St. Bridget Parish in Postville following the May 12 immigration raids on Agriprocessors. While watching participants exit the Cedar Rapids church Thursday night following the service, he said he was pleased so many had come to the bilingual prayer service.

"I was really nervous that we were not going to get even 50 people, but we had a good turnout," he said. "This shows that people in Cedar Rapids do care about the well-being of other human beings, and that they are in solidarity with the pain that these people, our people, are going through. We not only pray for those who are in the prison, but also for the families who are suffering because of the ICE raids."

The Hispanic ministry, Hernandez said, is small in Cedar Rapids when compared to other places within the state.

"We have about 200 worshipers," he said. "I think [the Hispanic community members in Cedar Rapids] keep a low profile to some extent. That's not to say that they feel insecure here, just that it is a much smaller community than what might be found in other cities like Waterloo or Marshalltown. When you have more people, there are more problems. When you have less people, less problems."

After the Postville raids, members of the Cedar Rapids ministry were concerned.

"Not only just concerned, but they were really nervous," Hernandez said. "What if this happened in our community? How are we going to respond to a crisis that may come to Cedar Rapids? Everything is possible, but we thank God that this has not happened in our city."

The raid on Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant, has been labeled by federal officials as the largest in the nation's history. Nearly 400 individuals were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As of Thursday, 76 percent of those detained have been convicted and sentenced on criminal charges relating to the use of fake documents for the purpose of gaining employment.

While most of those attending the prayer service were there to pray both for those affected and for immigration reform, Nick Felsing of Cedar Rapids came because he drove his mother-in-law, a church parishioner, to the service. Still, he said, he has sympathy for the individuals detained in the immigration raid.

"I do work around a lot of the Hispanic population in the area," he said. "I don't really like what's going on, you know. I mean they are here to work and support their families, and that's a whole lot more than you can say for a lot of other people."

Jesse Martinez of Cedar Rapids had planned to lead those in attendance on a march from the church to Mays Island, near local and federal government buildings. Possible inclement weather prevented the march and outdoor candlelight vigil.

"It was awesome to see everyone come to the service, even if it was a little disappointing that the weather didn't cooperate," he said. "I was hoping to march down to the island and have our ceremony there, but this is God's will and we had it here."

Cedar Rapids, the second largest city in the state, had to host an event, even if it is 100 miles away from Postville, Martinez said.

"Waterloo... Des Moines... it seems that so many other cities have already held events in response to the immigration raids," he said. "It was important that Cedar Rapids stand up too. It was important that the people here have a venue for their voices.

"We need to pressure our senators and our representatives to change the laws that are on the books because they are just not working. Postvilles are going to continue to happen. Guaranteed. There's another Postville coming, and they are going to keep coming until these laws get changed."

76 Percent of Those Detained in Nation's Largest Criminal Immigration Operation Convicted of Criminal Wrongdoing

Ten days ago federal authorities surrounded Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, and took 389 workers into custody on possible immigration violations. Within 48 hours officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Iowa and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that the first 20 arrests on criminal charges had taken place. By the time another 48 hours had passed, the public learned that a total of 305 of the 389 detained would face criminal charges, and that those charges would take precedence over any immigration proceedings.

Today -- the last day makeshift courtroom facilities at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo were used -- the final groups of those accused were shackled and walked before a judge to enter their pleas. A full 98 percent, or 297 of the 302 detainees facing criminal charges, opted to enter a guilty plea, accept a lesser sentence and to be banned from legal entry into the United States for the rest of their lives. All of those convicted have admitted they were in the country illegally and face deportation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office originally indicated 305 had been arrested on criminal wrongdoing. After that announcement was made, six cases involving juveniles were dismissed and three additional defendants were arrested. Of the 302 that faced criminal charges, only five did not opt to enter a guilty plea. Those five individuals will make their next court appearances at the federal building in Cedar Rapids next week during preliminary hearings.

"Months of investigation and operational planning really paid off and allowed us to move through so many cases since May 12," said Matt Dummermuth, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. "Other key factors include ICE's substantial commitment of personnel and resources, the outstanding cooperation of a number of other vital law enforcement agencies, and the flexibility of the court in moving its operations to Waterloo. But the single biggest reason for the astonishing success of this operation to date has been the dedication, expertise and around-the-clock work during the last two weeks of the people involved, including employees from my office, from all of the participating law enforcement agencies and from the federal court."

While continuing to praise those who worked additional hours to complete the task at hand, Dummermuth also took exception to those who spread "misinformation" in the wake of the raid.

While long hours and challenging circumstances were faced, those involved acted with professionalism and respect for the Constitution and the rule of law," he said. "It is unfortunate that those with their own agenda have spread misinformation -- ignoring the fact that 297 people admitted their crimes and accepted the consequences of their actions. There have been no checkpoints, no random checks, and no house-to-house sweeps as have been rumored. Those arrested were provided with attorneys before they decided to plea guilty, and we are working with the Department of Labor to see to it that employees who are in custody receive their final paychecks."

Claud Arnold, special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigations, echoed both Dummermuth's praise and criticisms.

"Despite the usual spate of false allegations and baseless rumors, this operation and its follow-up activities were carried out with the utmost professionalism," Arnold said. "Dozens of arrested adults were released to care for their children, 23 juveniles were turned over to responsible adults or to specialists, and every detainee was treated with respect and dignity at all times."

Scott Baniecke, field office director for ICE's Detention and Removal Operations, said that detainess were given access to phones as well as a medical staff. He added that those accused were provided "secure, private areas" to meet with attorneys and officials from their home countries.

The final day of court in the Waterloo facility was subdued. Hearings began at 8 a.m. and concluded at roughly 6 p.m.

The final breakdown of the criminal cases are as follows:

• 230 were sentenced to five months in prison and three additional years of supervision for using identification that belonged to another person to obtain employment.
• 30 were sentenced to five months in prison and three additional years of supervision for using a Social Security number or card that belonged to another person to obtain employment.
• 8 were sentenced to five months in prison and three additional years of supervision for illegal entry into the United States.
• 2 were sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and three additional years of supervision for using identification that belonged to another person to obtain employment.
• 21 were sentenced to five years of probation for using completely fake identification to obtain employment.
• 2 were sentenced to five years of probation for using completely fake Social Security numbers or cards.
• 4 were sentenced to five years of probation for illegal reentry into the United States.

Of the 297 individuals sentenced, the vast majority -- 248 or 83.5 percent -- came from Guatemala. There were also 48 individuals (16.2 percent) who came from Mexico and one man from the Ukraine.

Although the vast majority of criminal prosecutions has been completed, Arnold made a point of noting that the investigation, led by ICE, is ongoing. An official in the U.S. Attorney's Office also indicated that the investigation remains open.

Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, while outlining the state's response to the May 12 immigration raids on Agriprocessors in Postville, has called for the federal government to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

"I want to commend local officials and nonprofit organizations for their help during this difficult situation," Judge said. "They have done an outstanding job, and we will work with them to keep the pressure on the federal government to pass comprehensive immigration reform, so that a situation like this never happens again."

In addition to Judge's statement, the Governor's Office released the following outline of steps that state agencies have taken since the raid:

• Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor
  • Gov. Chet Culver and Lt. Gov. Judge convened a working group of several state agencies to monitor the situation and ensure people were treated with dignity, and due process was upheld.
  • Lt. Gov. Judge communicated humanitarian concerns to both the U.S. Attorney and ICE, and has continued conversations with the federal government to ensure that state officials have the latest information.
  • The Governor's Office has held two conference calls with community and county officials to discuss the situation on the ground, offer technical assistance and provide information on aid programs that may be available.
  • Culver and Judge have worked with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to investigate claims that legal rights were not being upheld.
  • Culver and Judge asked Latino Affairs Director Armando Villareal to travel to Postville and provide first-hand reports of the situation within the community.
  • Staff within the Governor's Office has held discussions with representatives from the legal community to provide greater access to legal representation for detainees and their families so that due process rights are protected.
  • Judge has reached out, and will continue to reach out, to Iowa's faith-based community to assist in providing family members access to basic needs.
• Department of Human Rights/Division of Latino Affairs
  • Latino Affairs Director Armando Villareal traveled to Postville to monitor the situation on the ground and determine what assistance state government could provide the community.
• Iowa Civil Rights Commission
  • Executive Director Ralph Rosenberg has communicated with the faith-based community what services family members of detainees need, such as shelter, medical care, food and mental health needs and right to counsel.
  • Rosenberg has deliberated with Iowa Legal Aid and other attorneys to provide detainees and their families with legal services or legal information concerning issues such as housing, immigration status, and wage claims.
• Department of Human Services
  • A social worker has been on site since Monday, May 12, to ensure that every child has proper supervision and care. Since Wednesday, the social worker has conducted a door-to-door canvass to ensure that children were safe and supervised.
  • Staff took applications from 48 eligible citizens for assistance with food stamps and medical services.
  • Staff has provided mental health services to members of the community and the school system.
• Department of Public Health
  • DPH staff will hold a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic on May 27 to help eligible, low-income Iowans pay for food and formula. A Maternal and Child Health clinic is also scheduled for the near future.
• Iowa Workforce Development
  • IWD lawyers have contacted Agriprocessors and encouraged the company to make good on wages to employees affected by the Federal action in Postville.

"We continue to monitor the situation in Postville," Judge said. "As a state, we are committed to ensuring that our laws are protected while those affected are treated with dignity and respect, and will continue to do what we can to protect the rights and safety of everyone involved -- especially the families and children."

A total of 140 of the 389 individuals detained by the government during the May 12 immigration raids of Agriprocessors in Postville have now been sentenced in federal court. To date, all individuals associated with this case who are facing criminal charges have opted to plea guilty.

In addition to the 85 individuals previously reported, an additional 55 defendants entered a guilty plea yesterday during court proceedings on the site of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo. From this second group, 30 were sentenced to five months in prison and three years of supervised release for using an identification document belonging to another person to obtain employment at Agriprocessors. Eighteen others were sentenced to five months in prison and three years of supervised release when they admitted to using a Social Security number or card that belonged to another person. One defendant was sentenced to five months in prison and one year of supervised release for gaining unlawful reentry into the United States. The final six defendants were sentenced to probation (and immediate deportation) when they admitted to using fake identification to obtain employment. The identification documents used by the six given probation were completely fabricated and did not belong to a real person.

All 55 of the accused -- 11 originally from Mexico and 44 from Guatemala -- admitted to being in the country illegally. They all face removal from the United States.

Hearings continue today at the makeshift courtroom facilities at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo.

The setting is different, but the process remains basically the same.

Initial court appearances for the individuals who stand criminally charged following the immigration raids on Agriprocessors in Postville began Tuesday night in Waterloo and continued today.

Immigrant detainees file in and out of the Electric Park Ballroom on the campus of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo in groups of 10 for their first appearance before a federal judge. The detainees, all men except for a group of nine women that were a part of the first proceedings Wednesday morning, are bound by handcuffs at the wrists as well as chains from their upper torso to their ankles.

The court proceedings take place on the wooden floor area of the facility that is typically the site of disc jockeys and dancers. A line of black curtains have been placed midway across the dance floor, a seal for the court affixed at the center, just above the makeshift judge's bench. Clerks and other court officials flank the judges bench at long tables placed to the right and left. The tables are filled with computer equipment and paperwork. Directly in front of the judge's bench are two tables, one for the defense and one for the prosecution. Near the defense table are a line of 11 chairs -- one for each of the 10 defendants and one for an interpreter.

There are three interpreters present at each hearing. One provides translation of the judge's words to the 10 defendants, who wear special ear phone devices so that they can hear the translator clearly. Each group coming before the judge is asked if the translation system is working properly before the actual hearing commences.

The roughly 15 observers -- members of the media, advocates and other interested parties -- sit in rows of seats near the main entrance to the facility, behind a thigh-level row of black curtains that separate observers from those taking part in the proceedings. Several men in flack jackets and shirts labeled with "U.S. MARSHAL" stand and sit behind the observers. Similar law enforcement escort the detainee groups into the makeshift courtroom and out again.

The National Cattle Congress in Waterloo is basically a fairgrounds facility that has a full perimeter fence. For these proceedings, however, additional fencing and barricades have been installed. Members of the media are directed away from the main entrance, which is used primarily by law enforcement and court officials such as interpreters, to a side entrance near the Electric Park Ballroom. Media, after passing through an initial security check, is directed to park outside the actual facility on a grassy area. (The parking lot at that location appears to be reserved for law enforcement, advocates and defense attorneys.)

Members of the media then walk into and across the fenced parking area to a more intense security check point located in a temporary shelter. Individuals passing through this area must provide state identification, such as a driver's license, and empty pockets to pass through a metal detector. No cameras or mobile phones are permitted beyond this point.

Because of the camera restrictions, some members of the media have positioned themselves along the fences and are using zoom lenses to attempt to capture the scene on film. Because of the layout of the building, the temporary security structures and the route taken by law enforcement as detainees are moved from one location to another, most photographers are frustrated.

The initial court appearance is very basic. Most detainees have only recently been given a sheet of paper that outlines the criminal charges against them. Because the complaint is written in English and there are limited translators, some entering the courtroom have no real knowledge of the charges against them. The judge explains that an attorney has been appointed to represent all of the defendants at the hearing and, if the defendants agree to use that attorney at the court's expense, he or she will meet with them following the initial appearance. During the four or five court hearings observed, all of the defendants present opted to use the court appointed attorney.

The process is slow and a bit cumbersome due to the need for translators. At various times the detainees are requested to raise a hand to indicate understanding.

By and large the detainees are Hispanic and young. Most look to be in their late teens or early 20s. Few make eye contact with court officials or observers as they move in and out of the facility. Of those who did make eye contact, there was no spark of facial expression.

When the judge asks if the detainees have questions, there are few who speak up. Of those who do speak, the questions are basic: "Is there any way to speed up this process?" or "Can I not have an attorney?" It's obvious that some have little understanding of the court process or what might be happening over the course of next few days and weeks.

The court-appointed defense attorneys are assigned detainees in the same groups of 10 that come in for initial appearances. Status hearings are scheduled for next week at the National Cattle Congress facility and preliminary hearings for the following week.

At a press conference yesterday, the media was told by representatives of the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that a total of 20 individuals were facing criminal charges. By today at noon, according to Bob Teig, communications director for the U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Iowa, that number had blossomed to 125. Of those facing criminal charges, only nine are women.

Once an individual is charged and he or she has an initial court appearance, the individual is placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshal and transported out of the temporary facility and into area county jails. It is anticipated that many will be housed in Linn County facilities, near the permanent home of the court. Those accused will be transported back to the National Cattle Congress campus for scheduled status hearings next week.

Detainees not facing criminal charges, but still subject to immigration investigation, continue in the custody of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE). Those detainees are also expected to be removed from the temporary location -- most expected to be removed from the state to ICE detention facilities. The closest such facility is in Omaha, NE.

"This process doesn't have many major differences from the types of processes that happen at ICE offices on a daily basis," said Tim Counts, public affairs officer for the Department of Homeland Security. "The difference here is that the geographical location has been compressed to the NCC grounds in Waterloo. This was done because of the large scope as well as for the convenience of all concerned."

Counts said he anticipates that those detainees remaining in the custody of ICE will be removed from the temporary location either late tonight or tomorrow.

Criminal hearings are currently under way in makeshift courtrooms in Waterloo for 20 of the nearly 400 individuals detained following a Monday immigration raid of meatpacking plant Agriprocessors, Inc. in Postville.

In a press conference this afternoon in Cedar Rapids, Matt Dummermuth, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, and Claude Arnold, special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the process of separating individuals charged in a criminal offense from those only facing administrative charges remains underway and more criminal charges are expected.

"As of right now 20 people have been arrested on criminal charges following their administrative arrest," Dummermuth said. "This includes 10 men and 10 women so far. Those people -- and any others who are arrested on federal criminal charges -- will appear in federal court in Waterloo."

Temporary courtrooms have been placed at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo. It marks the first time since 1996 that the court has temporarily moved to handle criminal cases related to immigration work site enforcement operations. Dummermuth said that the exact criminal charges vary from individual to individual, but include felony allegations of aggravated identity theft and false use of social security numbers.

"Those charged criminally will receive attorneys and will appear before a Federal Magistrate Judge for an initial appearance," Dummermuth said. "Meeting rooms have been set up for people criminally arrested to meet with their attorneys. The magistrate courtroom has been set up in the Electric Park Ballroom and two district court courtrooms have been set up in nearby trailers. The court plans to post names and appearance times on its website as well as on site at the fairgrounds."

Hearings for the 10 men criminally charged began today at 4 p.m. Hearings for the women facing criminal charges will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m.

"There may be other hearings, yet to be scheduled, for tonight -- so there may be more than that," Dummermuth added.

Those detained in criminal proceedings will no longer be held in temporary detention facilities, but will be placed in U.S. Marshal's custody. Men currently awaiting a hearing on criminal charges will remain in Estel Hall as a temporary detention facility until they have appeared in court. Women facing criminal charges will likewise remain in the local jail facilities that are being used as temporary detention locations until they have appeared in court. Following initial appearances, individuals not released pending their next court appearance will be placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshal for confinement in local jails.

Individuals that are not facing criminal prosecution, but still subject to administrative detention, will remain in Estel Hall or local jails until they are moved to other locations for the completion of the administrative process. According to Dummermuth, there will be no administrative proceedings held at the Waterloo site.

"Everyone will have an opportunity to be represented in their administrative proceedings," said Arnold. "Right now, people are going through the criminal proceedings, but, when it comes time for them to complete the intake processing for administrative proceedings, they will have the opportunity to be represented by counsel."

Arnold added that some already have representation and that those who do not will be provided a local list of free or low-cost legal services. Administrative hearings will be scheduled at locations throughout the nation where ICE has detention space, with consideration to the specific classification of the detainee. It is unlikely that many, if any, of the administrative hearings stemming from the Postville raid will be held in Iowa.

"There is very little detention space here in Iowa," Arnold said. "This is partially because the detention space is shared between the Marshals and ICE. So if a lot of people are being detained by the Marshal's Office for criminal proceedings, there aren't beds available for those in ICE custody."

While it remains unclear exactly how long federal agencies will be on the temporary site in Waterloo, Arnold indicated that the processing of Postville detainees should be quickly coming to an end.

"We anticipate that we won't be housing the people [at the temporary detention facilities in Waterloo] past Wednesday night -- Thursday morning at the latest," said Arnold. He then refused to state if or how the facility, which will remain rented by federal agencies past this week, will be used during the remaining time frame.

Dummermuth and Arnold, while commenting that Agriprocessors was "cooperative during the execution of the search warrant," refused comment on whether any criminal investigation was underway in relation to the company or its leadership. The two also refused to comment on if there would be more arrests in relation to the more than 300 outstanding criminal complaints.

A total of 390 first-shift workers were arrested as a result of the immigration raid. The event, which boasted 697 criminal complaints and arrest warrants for plant employees, is the largest single-location immigration raid in the nation. Nearly 60 people, most of them women, were released under ICE supervision to care for children or due to medical reasons. Those released are wearing electronic monitoring devices. Of those arrested, 290 are Guatemalan, 93 are Mexican, four are Ukrainian and three are Israeli.

The audience in King's Chapel on the campus of Cornell College in Mount Vernon seemed to hold its collective breath Thursday night as George Stephanopoulos gave voice to words about the Democratic presidential nomination process that most in the nation have been impatiently waiting to hear: "The race is over." The same quiet audience emitted whoops of joy a few minutes later when Stephanopoulos said that Iowa's position as the first-in-the-nation caucus state would continue.

"I want to tell you that I do think this race -- the Democratic race -- is over," Stephanopoulos said. "Tuesday night was a decisive tipping point. Mathematically it is simply not possible for Sen. [Hillary Rodham] Clinton to catch Sen. [Barack] Obama in the elected delegates. Beyond that, I think what you are starting to feel in the 48 hours or so since North Carolina and Indiana is the sense inside the Democratic Party that this has to end, that Democrats have to unify behind a single candidate and get on with the business of the general election."

As evidence of his prediction, Stephanopoulos said that Obama was expected to pick up two additional Democratic superdelegates today, placing his campaign ahead of Clinton's for the first time in terms of the coveted pledged superdelegate total.

"By the end of the day tomorrow, [Obama] will be ahead of her by that count as well, and you are going to start to see even more of the ranks closing around him," Stephanopoulos said. "I think it is very possible that Sen. Clinton will stay in the race for another week or two. You see, [Clinton] has never actually lost a race. ... I think this is really a difficult process for her to wrap her head around."

According to Stephanopoulos, Clinton's staff was telling her prior to Tuesday night that she would "win Indiana by a much larger margin -- by 8 or 10 points -- and would hold North Carolina to a very narrow loss, maybe even win it." The disappointment, he said, was evidenced on Clinton's face when she spoke late that night.

"You could see it -- those of you who were able to stay up that long -- you could see it in her face," he said. "I think she was in a little bit of shock and angry. I think she's in the process now of trying to absorb that and figure out how we get out of this primary process."

Looking past the 2008 contests, Stephanopoulos said that Obama, whom he now considers the de facto nominee, not only owes Iowa for his catapult out of the state and into the remaining contests, but, if elected to the White House in November, will reward Iowa by pushing for it to continue the role as the nation's earliest presidential nomination contest.

"As to first-in-the-nation status, I don't think that's going to change," he said. "I hope next time around is not in 2011. You know, this time it started so early that it was almost in 2007. But I think [Iowa's place] is secure. ... Especially if Obama becomes president, he will feel such loyalty to Iowa just as Pres. Clinton felt to New Hampshire that there is no way it will change."

High school students still debating which college or university to attend in the fall have some new information at their fingertips. Unfortunately, the information, provided by an organization with conservative ties, doesn't shine a favorable light on most Iowa institutions of higher education.

Richard Vedder, director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) writing for Forbes, took a direct swipe at the popular college and university rankings produced by U.S. News & World Report, saying the "rankings ought to get a D."

While the U.S. News rankings didn't give Iowa institutions glowing marks, both the University of Iowa and Iowa State University ranked in the top 100. Iowa ranked 64th while Iowa State ranked 85th on the list of all national universities. On the list of national public universities, Iowa ranked 24 and Iowa State ranked 38. Both have significant slips backward in the rankings compiled by Vedder and CCAP.

"We start with the premise that consumers want two things when they buy a good or service," Vedder wrote in an announcement on the CCAP blog. "First, they want to be satisfied using the good -- it is easy to use, safe, etc. Second, they want it to do the job for which it is intended. We think ratings of colleges should reflect how colleges do in meeting those objectives. The US News rankings are more based on resources or inputs used or on institutional reputation. The two sets of rankings are moderately highly correlated with one another, but there are important differences."

The CCAP rankings utilized student perceptions gleaned from the ratemyprofessors.com Web site, alumni presences in "Who's Who in America," student success in national award competitions, and the probability of graduating from college in four years. In writing for Forbes, Vedder explains that he believes the rankings compiled by U.S. News are the "equivalent to evaluating a chef based on the ingredients he or she uses" instead of rating the actual meal.

The CCAP rankings, however, did offer some praise for two of Iowa's liberal arts schools. Both Cornell College in Mount Vernon and Luther College in Decorah barely ranked in U.S. News' top 100. Cornell rose to CCAP's top 25, ranking 24th overall. Luther didn't rise quite as far, but moved up 10 slots to number 87 in the CCAP rankings.

Grinnell College, a private liberal arts school in Grinnell, fared much worse, dropping from 11 on the U.S. News rankings to 55th on the CCAP scorecard.

Ohio University, the school where Vedder is a professor of economics, rose on both the national university and national public university rankings.

The CCAP was founded by Vedder in 2006 with a $200,000 grant by the Searle Freedom Trust, founded by Daniel Searle. It wasn't the first time that the two teamed up. Searle was a large monetary contributor for Vedder's 2004 book, "Going Broke by Degree: Why College Costs Too Much," through a program at the American Enterprise Institute. It was Vedder's injection of personal conservative ideology in that book that has garnered him criticism as an enemy of higher education.

The attention to the book "got us thinking that there's really a lot more work to be done," Kimberly Dennis, executive director of the Searle Freedom Trust, told reporter Doug Lederman in May 2006. "No one's looking into these issues, especially from the conservative side, and we wanted to support Rich's interest in trying to figure out why higher education is so expensive, and what kind of policy mechanisms we could adopt that might make it more affordable."

In addition to his work in relation to higher education, Vedder has partnered with Steve Moore, a former senior fellow at the Cato Institute and former president, chief executive officer and founder of Club for Growth, and Lowell Gallaway, another professor of economics at Ohio University and former chief of the Analytic Studies Section of the Social Security Administration, to produce a study about the impact of immigration on the American economy for the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. Gallaway and Vedder also worked to produce several studies for the U.S. Congressional Joint Economic Committee dealing with the "welfare state," economic opportunity, small business, entrepreneurs and labor.

Vedder was also a "peer reviewer" for a report for The Tobacco Institute that was published by the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. Vedder has been a proponent of Wal-Mart as an economic stimulator and friend to the middle class. In addition, he has previously worked with Dwight Lee, another "peer reviewer" for the tobacco industry and a professor of economics at the University of Georgia, to write studies on government deficit reduction, tax cuts and monetary growth.

How Iowa Schools Ranked
	CCAP	US News
All National Universities:
University of Iowa	75	64
Iowa State University	120	85
National Public Universities:
University of Iowa	29	24
Iowa State University	61	38
All Liberal Arts Schools:
Cornell College	21	97
Grinnell College	55	11
Luther College	87	97