18 months after immigration raid, workers awaiting deportation
By Chris Hubbuch
lacrossetribune.com
Saturday, December 5, 2009
DECORAH, Iowa - They came for the promise of prosperity.
From villages in Guatemala and Mexico to a little town in Iowa. They paid thousands - borrowed from brothers and cousins already in America - to coyotes, smugglers who led them across the desert.
They found jobs skinning cattle and cutting chickens, working 12-hour days in dangerous conditions for $7 an hour.
For this, they got prison.
It's been a year and a half since immigration officials raided the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, where more than 300 workers, mostly from Guatemala and Mexico, were arrested on immigration charges. Most pleaded guilty and were sentenced to five months in prison.
Now, as they wait to be sent home, seven are telling their stories on stage.
After serving their time, 24 of the Postville workers - all government witnesses in a case against the plant manager - were released. A handful settled in nearby Decorah, where church groups helped them find a home.
But the promised work permits were slow to come.
As they struggled to get by on odd jobs, seven of the workers came up with the idea of a play about their experiences.
Over the winter, they would get together and tell stories while Spanish-speaking students and recent Luther College graduates took notes. Playwright Alex Skitolsky helped shape the work.
The play is called "La Historia de Nuestras Vidas" - "The Story of Our Lives." The men recite lines in Spanish, with a written English translation provided.
"When we left from the jail, we thought of this idea because we were trying to get some money to send back to our families," said Oscar Mejia Santos, a 30-year-old from Guatemala.
It's also helped people understand their lives in Postville and their struggles since the raid, said Aaron Junech Vega.
They will perform the play for the 15th time tonight at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Admission is free, though donations are welcome.
Mark Kastel saw the play this summer in Viroqua and was so moved he helped bring it to La Crosse.
As co-founder and policy analyst at the Cornucopia Institute - a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable food production - Kastel saw the play as a reflection on the economics of cheap food. He can remember when meatpackers earned good wages.
"We have farmers going out of business. The people who produce our food are treated in an abusive manner. ... We're supporting companies that won't pay enough so that a domestic worker will take a job," Kastel said.
The men eventually got work permits and found jobs at the Postville plant, now under new management.
The pay is better - most now earn about $11 an hour, though without benefits - but the work still treacherous. The days start at 5:45 a.m. and stretch to 5 p.m.
And last month, Agriprocessors manager Sholom Rubashkin was convicted of 86 fraud charges and may spend the rest of his life in prison. A week later, the government dropped its immigration case, eliminating the need for witnesses.
The actors now face deportation, though they don't know when. A farewell party is scheduled for next weekend at First Lutheran Church.
They look forward to reuniting with wives and children they haven't seen in years, but they don't know if they'll be able to provide for them in a country where they might earn only $7 or $8 a day.
"The situation is really hard. There's not very much work," Junech said.
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