By Seth Boyes,
Area advocates encouraged community members to mirror the biblical good samaritan in their approach to supporting area immigrants. The Decorah Human Rights Commission and the Decorah Public Library partnered to host a March 18 panel at Pulpit Rock Brewing Company in Decorah, where four area volunteers discussed their work with the region’s immigrant community.
Ruth Palmer, a volunteer with the Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center, told last week’s audience immigrants often decide to leave their home countries to seek opportunities — and in some cases, false promises of employment, housing or other benefits. Palmer said Iowa’s immigrant population is particularly prevalent in certain industries, such as agriculture and hospitality. Information from the American Immigration Council said immigrants made up nearly 6 percent of Iowa’s total population in 2023, and about 39 percent of immigrants in the state were naturalized citizens as of that year. Of the state’s total immigrant population, about 31 percent, or 58,900 individuals, were believed to be undocumented immigrants — accounting for 1.8 percent of Iowa’s population, but about 2.4 percent of the state’s workforce.
Palmer said she and other volunteers feel society should retire the use of the term “illegal” to describe undocumented individuals.
“We firmly believe no human person is illegal — we can be fat or we can be skinny, we can be ugly, we can be beautiful, but not illegal — never illegal,”
Fellow volunteer Marty Steele said, while some might claim increases in crime rates correlate with rises in immigrant populations, a number of studies have found immigrants are about 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated than citizens born in the U.S. She went on to say U.S.-born citizens made up about 83 percent of the country’s fentanyl-related convictions in 2023, which she felt largely debunks the perception that most immigrants are involved in trafficking the drug.
“These people do not want to be noticed. They don’t want to wreak havoc,” Steele said. “They just want to put their heads down, work and take care of their families.”
Some present during last week’s discussion indicated it isn’t uncommon for immigrant families to take on significant debt to fund their initial journey, and many ultimately send every other paycheck to family in their home country. Steele said, contrary to some claims, undocumented immigrants are unable to claim many of the benefits offered through government programs, including Social Security, Medicaid, welfare and supplemental nutrition assistance — though she noted some women and young children may be able to receive benefits from the Women, Infants and Children Program — or WIC. Data from the American Immigration Council said undocumented immigrants paid more than $418 million in taxes during 2023 — almost $249.5 million in federal taxes and $169 million in state taxes.
Kathi Mitchell volunteers with Neighbors Helping Neighbors — which partners with the Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center — and she said she and other volunteers helped distribute hundreds of pieces of furniture to immigrant families soon after their arrival in the region over the course of 2024. She also said the Food for Families Program — formerly established during the COVID-19 pandemic as Guatemalan Basics — provides families with enough rice, black beans and tortilla mix to feed four individuals for approximately four to six weeks. Margaret Betteridge, a retired Spanish teacher who now volunteers as an interpreter with the Peace and Justice Center’s Immigration Action Network, said many immigrants are also in need of winter clothing after traveling to Iowa from countries with warmer climates.
Statistics from the American Immigration Council said about 23 percent of Iowa’s immigrant population in 2023 was from Mexico, with about 6.8 percent coming from Guatemala and another 5.7 percent from India. Mitchell said she has interacted with many families from Mexico and Guatemala as well as Honduras and El Salvador during her time as a volunteer, and she said she’s also met many from Nicaragua and Haiti.
Betteridge said she feels it is tragic to see families separated by federal authorities, adding many are simply hoping to work.
“You’ve heard of some recent arrests in northeast Iowa, and our immigration attorney that works with our group has warned us that families will be separated,” Betteridge said. “We don’t’ want to think about that harsh reality, but we’re trying to help families set up power of attorney paperwork so that, if and when there’s a crisis and parents are detained, the children have a safe place to be.”
Betteridge and others at last week’s panel discussion estimated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel had conducted at least three enforcement actions in Postville since mid-to-late January — the city of approximately 2,300 people is situated about a mile beyond the Winneshiek County line and gained national attention in 2008 following a raid ICE which resulted in the arrest of more than 300 workers at a local kosher meatpacking plant. Communications staff with ICE said last week the agency was unable to confirm whether any enforcement action may have been conducted in Postville so far this year.
“Due to our operational tempo and the increased interest in our agency, we are unable to research and respond to specifics of routine daily operations,” staff said in a statement to the Decorah Leader.
Betteridge claimed the father of a family she has worked with was arrested and held in five different prisons over the course of 10 months, after being charged with identity theft — she indicated the name on the man’s drivers license and vehicle registration was not his own, and she said the man had been employed since 2009. She went on to say it was difficult for his family and other advocates to stay in communication with him as he was moved from one facility to another.
“He was being moved from pillar to post for identity theft, and he was finally deported last month,” Betteridge said. “For the 10 months, his wife and two children had to fend — trying financially to make a living without his salary, and now they’re going to leave. She has a work permit. She has an asylum plea, but she doesn’t want to be looking over her shoulder. And all he really wanted to do was work. That’s really the saddest statement about our country. We need the labor force. We need these people to work, and then we have them hide in the shadows.”
The panel and other organizers said, while many Decorah residents may feel the urge to take action upon hearing word of possible ICE arrests or other activity in Postville, it is often more beneficial to wait until local volunteers call for aid after looking into a situation.
“If they need assistance, they will reach out to trusted allies, because people in crisis are going to call their trusted contacts for what they need,” Betteridge said.
The panel recommended members of the public familiarize themselves with immigrant rights, donate to food pantries in Postville and support Postville businesses, noting many are owned by local immigrants.
“These are some of our very best neighbors, and we need to do whatever we can to protect them,” Steele said.
Ruth Palmer provided statistics regarding Iowa’s immigrant population and contributions immigrants make to the state. (Photo by Seth Boyes)
“We firmly believe no human person is illegal — we can be fat or we can be skinny, we can be ugly, we can be beautiful, but not illegal — never illegal.”– Ruth Palmer
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