1
The Postville Story
JUST FAITH PARTICIPANTS
Resurrection Parish – Dubuque, Iowa
February 20, 2010
Good Morning!
What a privilege it is for me to be with you. I first of all commend you for participating in
the Just Faith program. In addition I offer a sincere thank you to Sr. Carol Besch, OSF
for inviting me to be a part of your day that you have designated as a day to reflect on the
issue of immigration. In dialogue with Carol and Gwen concerning the focus for our
morning session it was suggested that I begin by sharing what I have to come to call ....The
Postville Story. Following this we will few a DVD, entitled In the Shadow of the Raid.
We will then have a conversation about your reaction...your questions...comments....and at
the end of the morning I will try to summarize some of the key principles that need to be
incorporated into any legislation that focuses on Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Now to the Postville Story! In all honesty I have probably shared this story in a formal
manner about twenty plus different times in the past year and a half. And every time I do,
it is as alive within my heart as it was the first time I shared it or I might say at the moment
that I experienced it. At first I do not believe I realized the significance of the title that I
had given my presentation, but as the weeks and months progressed I have come to realize
what a profound affect the sharing of a story can have on our lives. Stories shape our
lives. Stories inspire. Stories bring to life our deepest values and commitments.
Stories inform us. Stories have the potential to transform us.
This realization became even more significant when in the recent trail of Sholom
Rubashkin the immigration charges were dropped. Because of this decision the story of
our immigrants will not be heard in a court of law. And because of this deprivation I feel
an even greater need to continue to share the Postville Story.
2
A Scripture passage that has always held great meaning is one that we find in the Book of
Revelation, namely....
Whoever has ears ought to listen to what the Spirit
I am convinced that the Spirit is speaking to us through the Postville Story. The question
or the challenge is .....
Do we have ears to hear?
The Postville Story is a story of a long and difficult journey. It is a story of a group of
people from Mexico and Guatemala who left their native countries in order to feed their
families, educate their children, provide medicine for seriously ill parents and/or children,
and ultimately bring life, healing and wholeness to people they loved.
The Postville Story is a story of hope and love; of disappointment and fear; of
imprisonment and waiting; of courage and compassion. It is a story of a journey that
began in hope and ended in tragedy. I can only hope that the journey that appeared to
end in tragedy on May 12, 2008 will possibly...just possibly...end in transformation.
My deepest hope is that the tragedy of Postville will serve as the impetus for
comprehensive immigration reform.
So that you might know this story, as well as understand the tragedy and the hope that fills
my heart, I invite you to step back in time with me not to May 12, 2008, but to May 9,
2008. Picture this. I am in my office in Monona, Iowa, completing preparations for the
weekend liturgies. My week is winding down. The phone rings. It is a call from Carlos
Rios, a person in Des Moines who works with issues if immigration. Carlos asks, “Have
you heard the rumor?” I ask, “What rumor? “The rumor that very likely within the
following week there will be an immigration raid in Postville.”
My response: “No, I had not heard the rumor, but I was very aware of the presence of
representatives from the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the
Cattle Congress in Waterloo.” And in my mind and heart I was hoping against hope that
Postville would not be the target. He asks me where Paul Rael, our Hispanic Minister, is
3
as he could not locate him. Much to my dismay Paul is away for a three day weekend.
Without trying to scare me half out of my wits Carlos again says, “This is very serious.”
I hang up the phone and think …what do I do? I also think oh why ....oh why does Paul
Rael, our St. Bridget Hispanic Minister, and my right hand person, have to be away this
weekend…and he isn’t just in Cedar Rapids or Waterloo but he is in Western Iowa.
Needless to say an immediate call is made to his home and office asking him to contact me
as soon as he returns. On Saturday morning I receive another call…this time from Tony
Leys, a reporter from the Des Moines Register, “Had I heard the rumor?” By then I am
convinced that Postville is the target but surely it will not be until later on in the week.
After all Paul is not home and we are not ready!
On Monday Paul is home and has received my frantic phone calls concerning the
RUMOR. We set 10:30 as our time to meet to prepare our response. I will go to Postville
and in the meantime Paul will go to the apartments of our Hispanic People telling them
about their rights, just in case there is a raid. And I suppose telling them that we will get
back to them…after we have met and prepared our response!!!!
At 10:03 I receive a phone call from Paul…his words are imbedded in my memory….
“It’s no rumor…the helicopters are here.” So much for our planned response!
I immediately left my desk at St. Patrick’s in Monona and drove 15 miles to
Agriprocessors hoping that I might see some of our people….what I thought I could do I
do not know ….I simply wanted the people there to know that we cared about them and
that the St. Bridget’s Faith Community was here for them. Did I see any of them? Of
course not…all I saw were helicopters, ICE agents armed with guns, State Patrol Officers,
Sheriff Cars, local police, journalists, cameras plus a number of very concerned and
frightened Postville residents.
4
I am told that had I been inside the plant I would have heard people shouting, “La Migra!
La Migra! Immigration! Save yourself, if you can! Some ran. Some tried to hide. Others
stood paralyzed and followed the harsh directives of ICE. They heard themselves called
“rats.” They were searched, shackled on their wrists, ankles and waist, lined up and tied to
fences. Fear and anguish pervaded their minds and hearts. They had to be thinking….Will
I ever again see my children or spouse? And what will happen to my family now that I will
not be able to provide money for food, rent or medical bills?
Also had I been inside the plant I would have seen ‘Elena’ grab her cell phone; call our
Hispanic minister, Paul Rael, and with a quivering voice say, “Take care of my children.”
After an hour or so of standing outside the plant I approached our local Chief of Police and
said, “Mike, what we feared has happened. If you see any of our families tell them that
St. Bridget’s is here for them and that they can come to the Church.”
I then returned to St. Bridget’s. The first woman I met was a parishioner carrying a few
dozen cookies…and some lemonade…and she said: “Sister, a terrible thing has happened
to our town.” How prophetic were her words! A terrible thing did happen to the town of
Postville on May 12, 2008 …something we pray will never again happen to another group
of people or town. Here was a woman who was listening to what the Spirit was saying to
the Churches....
I then opened the Church door and saw a group of ten or twelve women huddled together
with their children. A small bi lingual boy approached me and said: “Can our friends
come too?” My spontaneous response was: “Of course they can …tell anyone who is
afraid or alone to come to St. Bridget’s.”
Little did I know what those words would mean when by 7:00 that evening over 400 men,
women and children were pouring into St. Bridget’s. They came to be with friends and
family members. They came to see who was there and not there…they came to see who
had or had not been detained. They came to cry together and pray together. They came to
5
receive strength from one another. They were too afraid to be alone for fear that ICE
officials might come to their home. They came trusting that the Church and the Postville
Community would guide and help them at this most horrible time in their lives. They
came as hurting, frightened, traumatized human persons.
Despite the trauma of the day, to be at St. Bridget’s on that Monday evening was to see
humanity at its best ….for assistance in the form of food, blankets, pillows, toothbrushes,
cots, games, toys was coming to us like manna from heaven. To be there was also to see
what happens when the law of the land does not keep up with need of the
land….when the law of the land does not provide a means for our 21st century
immigrants, who come here for the same reasons that our ancestors came to America,
does not provide a means for them to “regularize their status in our country.” We
accept their labor …we need their labor…but we do not accept their presence. Instead we
call and treat them as criminals. The tragedy of Postville screams for our compassion, our
attention and our involvement in immigration reform.
The tragedy of Postville calls us
to listen to what the Sprit is saying to the Churches...
For you to understand the horror and the power of the Postville Story it helps to know the
people. I would now like to tell you a few stories of the people I came to know, respect
and love. I do this because our 21st century immigrants cannot remain faceless and
nameless. We need to call them by name, we need to know them ...we need to know their
story! I also firmly believe that the first step in transforming a law is to transform hearts.
And in order to transform hearts we have to know and appreciate the people who are
currently being prevented form becoming documented persons.
The first person I want you to know is Pedro….. At the time of the raid Pedro was twelve.
On the Thursday following the raid I met Pedro and said: “Pedro, How Are You?” He
responded by saying, “I am sad, very sad because they have taken away my mother.”
No child should have to use these words or feel these feelings.
6
In the days following the raid Pedro was asked whether or not he thought the raid was just.
He paused and said, “I think it is unjust because I was watching TV and I see that they are
calling us criminals. I am not a criminal. My parents are not criminals. My mom and dad
brought me here so I could get a better education. My dad thinks I should be a
veterinarian but I want to be an immigration lawyer so I can help people who have the
same fate as me because now I know how it feels.” This is the same child who described
the day of the raid with these words: “That day scarred my heart forever!”
I’d also like you to be aware of 42 women and three men who following the raid walked
the streets of Postville with GPS devices on their ankles. These women and 3 men were
arrested on the day of the raid but were released with electronic tracking devices so that
they could care for their children. They were not able to work and were totally dependent
on charity in order to feed and care for their family. Each week they would come to St.
Bridget’s… often with tears in their eyes… and ask to have their rent, utility, phone or
medical bills paid. They did not want to ask for charity. They wanted to work.
On the days immediately following the raid these women were so embarrassed and
humiliated that they did not want anyone to see that they had
a bracelet on their ankle…they would pull their slacks down so no one could see…but on
the Sunday following the raid when we joined many other concerned people for a prayer
and walk in Waterloo… they rolled their slacks up ….stood tall and carried signs that read:
We are not criminals…We came to work…We came to feed our families…We are
mothers. I call these women the “Rosa Parkses” of our broken immigration system.
7
One woman with an ankle bracelet told the story of her little daughter who looked at her
leg and said, “Mommy, what did you do?” No mother should have to look her child in the
eye and try to explain to her daughter that her mother and father loved her so much….that
they came to the United States, yes without the proper papers, but because they felt they
had no other choice and they wanted her to have a better future. And now because of that
act…because of their love…her mother is being treated as a criminal.
Now I would like to introduce you to “Gloria”. Gloria is a woman from Mexico. She is
tall and dignified. During the summer of 2008 and throughout 2009 she, too, walked the
streets of Postville with a monitoring device on her ankle. She also walked the streets with
pain and anger in her heart. Her anger stemmed from the labor law abuses, injustices and
sexual harassment that she and others alleged they experienced while working at
Agriprocessors.
On July 26, 2008 the day that three United States Congresspersons came to Postville to
listen to the testimony of our people, she spoke spontaneously. I had seen her early in the
morning in Church in front of a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe …tears streaming down
her face. At that moment I knew I was looking at a woman in intense need…in intense
pain and with intense courage.
Within an hour or two that pain, need and courage would turn to words and shouts of
honest anger….as she vividly described the abuses that our people, especially the women
and the minors had endured while working at Agriprocessors. She reminded me of the
story of Hannah in the Old Testament who poured out her heart to her God and to her
people.
Just as Hannah’s prayer was prompted by her deep sorrow and misery, I believe that
“Gloria’s” plea was prompted by the hurt, the pain, the humiliation and shattered dreams
experienced by so many in Postville. She was not speaking just for herself…she was
8
speaking for an entire community who had come to Postville with the hope of a better
future.
They knew they had come without the proper documentation….but for survival they
did not know what else to do. On behalf of Gloria and all whom she represented in her
agonizing prayer and plea to the Congresspersons I beg you to be attentive to the pain and
the tears of our Postville People. I beg you to engage in efforts aimed at comprehensive
immigration reform.
I beg you to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.
I have another story. It is the story of Je sus. The first day I met Je sus was the day that
Rigoberta Menchu visited Postville. He was going to offer a testimony describing his
experience of the raid and then his five months in jail. His story was difficult to listen to
for he spoke of the harsh treatment he received from the ICE officials...of how he was
kicked to the ground and beaten...of how they were often called rats...made fun of,
shackled and searched, the latter causing great humiliation every time he was moved from
one jail to another and for Je sus this happened about four or five times.
He described the anguish in his heart when he feared he would never again see his wife or
three month old daughter. He told about being in solitary confinement for ten to twelve
days. He told about sharing a jail cell with hardened criminals, with murderers, burglars,
rapists. He found this very hard for he knew the only offense he ever committed was to
work without proper documentation.
You also need to know Rosanna and her two year old daughter, Estefana. Estefana is a
US citizen. This is how Rosanna described the day of the raid:
“They pointed a gun at me they told me not to move.
I cried and thought of my daughter.”
9
Rosanna was released with an ankle bracelet to care for her daughter; and then was
deported to Guatemala. In a brief film made a year after the raid she sadly notes:
“Since returning to Guatemala I see how my daughter has stopped growing. This is
because I do not have enough money to give her milk. ”
Estefana is just one of 50% of the Guatemalan children under the age of five who suffer
from chronic undernourishment. Her condition is called stunting.
Another story! It is simple and short, yet poignant. It is the story of “Isaias.” Isaias
Perez Martinez was arrested on the day of the raid and a day or two after sat in front of a
lawyer and an interpreter as they tried to explain the meaning of a plea agreement to him.
Dr. Eric, the interpreter, told me that Isaias cried for three hours straight...he was worried
sick about his wife, his children, his sister and mother, all depending on him back in
Guatemala. Finally when he was able to stop sobbing he looked at the lawyer and Dr. Eric
and said: “God knows you are just doing your job so you can feed your families; and
your job is to keep me from feeding mine.”
Do we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches?
Recently I had the opportunity to see a play put on by six men from Guatemala. Their play
is entitled...The Story of Our Lives. In it they recount what it was like on the day of the
raid....how they were treated in their hearings at the Cattle Congress ...how they were
moved from one jail to another. These particular men were asked to be witnesses and that
is why they are still with us. In the question and answer session following the play one
woman asked:
What advice would you give to other Guatemalan people who desire to come to the
United States in order to make enough money to feed their families or to build a house
or to pay for medical bills?
10
One man answered this way: “I would tell them not to come. It is too dangerous...too
risky and I would never want any one of my friends or family members to experience the
pain and humiliation that I experienced in the United States.” This was an honest
statement made by a simple, hard working, twenty-one year old man about our country.
Others (especially those with families) have been asked that same question and have
responded in a different way...they say... “Conditions in our home country are so
bad....there is so much poverty that I would tell them to risk it and to come. When your
children are starving you have to do whatever you can to help them to live.”
What is the Spirit is saying to the Churches?
Do we have ears to hear? Do we have the courage to act...the courage to do something
about this heart-breaking and unjust situation?
There are so many heartaches connected with the Postville story....
one heartache has to do with the circumstances that forced them to come to the
United States in the first place;
another with the way some were treated when they got here;
another with the way they were treated at Agriprocessors;
another with the alleged abuses they experienced during the raid (physical, verbal
and mental);
another about the abuses during the pre-court detention in Waterloo and how they
were forced into their plea agreements;
another with the fact that they were charged with aggravated identity theft, a felony
that they did not understand; and a statute that was disallowed a year later by the
US Supreme Court.
and another with the dropping of the immigration charges against Sholom
Rubashkin, the manager of Agriprocessors and the inability of our witnesses to tell
their story.
11
All their stories are stories of people seeking wholeness...seeking life....seeking
justice....seeking understanding...seeking equality. All of their stories are sacred....all of
their stories have the power to transform hearts and then hopefully transform the law of our
country.
While Pedro and Isaias, Jesus, Gloria and Rosanna were living their stories, we who were
responding to those affected by the raid were living our story. We were receiving both
support and criticism. The support came in the form of people. What did they do? They
brought food…prepared meals…served meals…cleaned bathrooms…played with the
children…doctors and nurses set up a free medical clinic…counselors came…immigration
lawyers and non immigration lawyers came to offer help…personnel from Catholic
Charities and Lutheran services were present…people provided transportation… And as
you may or may not know many sent financial aid. They could not be there in person but
wanted to offer their support. We have received over $1,200,000 from people across the
country…from 49 of our 50 states ....and with each donation came a beautiful note….I’ll
read a couple…
Please accept this small donation for helping our mothers and sisters in need. We
are all immigrants. In solidarity…
Saw yesterday’s N.Y. Times article. Your work is inspiring. God bless you and
we’ll pray that our country will once again become the humane shelter for the
poor and weak and helpless….
All I want to say really is…I keep you in my prayers and I want to stand up and be
counted with all the others who are saying, “ NO…NO…NO, this must not
happen in the United States of America…treating people like this….
The people who sent these notes and supported us financially responded to the needs of our
Hispanic brothers and sisters in a most authentic and generous manner. They supported us
in time of great need and will not be forgotten. This is the action they took in response to
what they believed “the Spirit was saying to the Churches!” I suspect that some of you are
among these people.
12
We also received notes that were highly critical of the fact that we were assisting people
who were here in the United States without proper documentation…they of course always
referred to our people as “illegals.” People tried to warn me that I could be in serious
trouble for “harboring illegals.”
In all honesty I was never afraid ….I never second guessed myself nor did anyone else on
our staff for we were doing what we knew was right. We were responding to people who
were traumatized, terrorized, and suffering and we were doing our best to comfort,
encourage and empower them. We were giving them a safe haven when our
government…because of our flawed and outdated immigration system…was treating them
as criminals.
I was often asked the question…especially by news reporters…. Do you support people
who break the law? My response was and continues to be….I do not support the breaking
of a law but I wholeheartedly support reviewing a law when it is not in accord with the
values of our country or it is no longer meeting the need of the day, for I knew that there is
a law within our human heart, the law of love and the law of justice, that at all times must
direct our thoughts, words and actions. These convictions came from my family and my
faith.
I’d like to share a little story about my family heritage. My father served as District
Attorney of Milwaukee County from 1944 until his death in 1964. In the fall of 1964 he
was engaged in another election …he was also engaged in a struggle with cancer. Just a
few days before he died he spoke with our pastor, and said this,
13
“I want to die in office and go out with my head held high in vindication for the principles
for which I have fought…I have tried to lend dignity to my office and as a public servant to
defend the rights of the little people”…..
These words came to my mind during the days following the raid. They stayed with me,
gave me courage and motivated me especially when I was asked about helping “illegal
immigrants…and my support of those who broke the law…” I was secure in doing what
I was doing for I was doing what my father had taught me….I was defending the
rights of the little people.
A number of passages from Scripture also gave me courage and direction during these
extremely challenging days. In particular a verse from Psalm 105, “Look to God and his
strength...seek to serve him constantly,” was always on my lips and in my heart. What
else could we do? There was no blueprint to follow for a response to the needs of 389
people, their families and friends who had been arrested in one of the largest, gravely
insensitive, unjust and harsh raids that had occurred to date in the history of the United
States. There was only one thing to do. We had to follow our hearts; trust the presence of
our God; and be confident that we would be given the wisdom and courage we needed at
each moment of our day in order to “defend the rights of the little people.”
Other scripture passages that gave us courage were from the Book of Leviticus and the
book of Deuteronomy. In Leviticus we hear...(19:34)
You should treat the alien who resides with you no differently
than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself:
for you, too, were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
And in the Book of Deuteronomy we hear this...(Dt. 24:14)
'You must not exploit a poor and needy wage-earner,
be he one of your brothers or a foreign resident in your community.”
14
I mention this verse for I believe that many of our people who came to Postville in search
of a better life were exploited....they were taken advantage of....they were used. One
woman from Guatemala reflected on her experience in this way.....
My name is Elida...I am from Guatemala...I have two children...We came here to make a
living. We came to work...but when we worked they exploited us. We did not have an
option....we could not complain because we needed the money....They need the work of our
hands and then they do this to us.....
In one of the documentary films about Postville entitled: Guatemala: A Tale of Two
Villages....we hear the story of man who worked at Agriprocessors for a very brief time.
He was arrested on the day of the raid and was charged with identity theft ...served his five
months in jail ...and was deported. Reflecting on his experience he said:
This is a sad story. It never ends. You can never forget the day they catch you.
When you return more in debt than when you left
you feel that you have failed!
I ask: Have our twenty-first century immigrants failed or have we who are the descendants
of 18th, 19th and 20th century immigrants failed?
Many times during the summer of 2008 as various families were leaving Postville I would
be there as they boarded the bus for O’Hare to say good bye. I would hug them and say:
“I am so sorry for the way that our country has treated you….I am so sorry for what
happened to you at Agriprocessors. I am so sorry that you have to leave.” They would
look at me, shrug their shoulders and say, “It’s ok…we understand!” But I say.
15
“It’s not ok….We have to care....we have to act.....
We have to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.
We have to work for comprehensive immigration reform.”
In late August I had the privilege of receiving the Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality
and Justice from the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women. In receiving it I told the
assembled group that I did not feel that I deserved it, but that I would receive it in the name
of the 389 people and their families who had been directly affected by the raid. I would
receive it in the name of all the people who had come to our assistance. I was only the
representative for innumerable people who were working for justice and equality.
In my response to this honor I quoted a scripture verse that to me expressed all that I was
feeling about receiving a medal for equality and justice. The verse I used is from the
Gospel of Luke and reads:
So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do ...say,
“We are unworthy servants, we have done no more than our duty.” (Lk. 17:10)
Truly this is how I felt. I was an unworthy servant doing no more than my duty. I was
offering pastoral presence and support to traumatized, frightened and hurting people.
Today I invite you to join me in doing our duty. As participants of this Just Faith Program
I am well aware of your concern for justice.....of your concern for the poor and the
voiceless. Today I invite you to affirm your commitment and to say with me.
“We are unworthy servants; we are doing no more than our duty.”
It is our duty to help people in need. It is our duty to empower people. It is our duty to
free people. It is our duty to offer a word of hope, a word of consolation and a word of
justice to people in need. It is our duty to respect people whatever their status might be. It
is our duty to seek equality and justice for all people, especially the poor, the traumatized
and those held captive by the circumstances of their lives. It is our duty to become a voice
for the poor...a voice for the voiceless....a voice for those who we have permitted our
16
country and our employers to exploit. It is our duty to work for a change in our
immigration law.
It is our duty to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.
I continue to describe May 12, 2008, as the most challenging, exhausting, privileged and
transformative day of my forty-five years of ministry. I also call it a gift because since that
fateful day I am much more inclined to speak out about injustices.
I am going to close with another story from Scripture. It is found in the Acts of the
Apostles. I trust that you know it and is very related to the fact that I can call May 12,
2008 as a point of transformation in my life. It is the story of Peter and John going into
the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. While there they encounter a man
crippled from birth, who in accord with his custom was asking for alms. Peter saw the
man. He heard his request and said,
“I have neither silver nor gold but what I have I will give you....
In the name of Jesus Christ rise and walk!”
Peter took the cripple by the hand.... The man leaped up, went into the temple with them
....walking...jumping and praising God!
The people were amazed. They were quite impressed, hence Peter went on to teach the
people about how Jesus had died and then rose from the dead. And many people who
heard the WORD that day came to believe.
Needless to say such teaching caused the elders and the Sadducees great consternation.
They were perplexed. They did not know how to handle Peter and John because they were
teaching them about Jesus. Their actions and their words were stirring up the people.
So...... they conferred among themselves and came to the conclusion that the only way to
dilute the power and the presence of Peter and John was to give them a very stern
17
warning......and hopefully get them out of town before too many more hearts were
changed.
They looked directly at Peter and John and gave them this warning.
“Never again are you to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus!”
Peter and John heard their rebuke and responded,
“It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”
Because of what happened in Postville on May 12, 2008 and has happened in innumerable
other towns throughout the United States, with Peter and John I say:
It is impossible for me not to speak about what I have seen and heard!
I am impelled to speak about the needs and the fears ...the hopes and the desires of
our immigrant brothers and sisters.
I am impelled to tell the “Postville story” ...to tell the story about the pain, the
anguish and the suffering of so many people whom I now call friend.
I am impelled to speak about the underlying causes of migration.
I am impelled to speak about the alleged injustices that many of our people,
especially our women and minors experienced while working at Agriprocessors.
I am impelled to speak about the devastating affects of a raid on people and on a
town.
I am impelled to speak of the men in jail who lived day in and day out with the
gnawing question in their heart: What will happen to my family now that I am not
able to provide money for food and other living expenses?
I am impelled to speak about the complexity of our current immigration system;
and its need for reform.
18
I am impelled to tell you the story of Pedro and Gloria and Jose and
Je sus, Isaias, of Elida and Estefana and so many others who came to
the United States to respond to the needs of their family.
May you, too, be impelled to speak a word of justice...and a word truth to our
President, Senators and Congresspersons. Write them, call them, and speak directly
to them, informing them of the pain of Postville and the need for comprehensive
immigration reform. Plead with them to review this complex issue and to develop
humane legislation that addresses the root cause of immigration, as well as our
current immigration policy.
I started this presentation by saying that I believe that stories shape our lives...that stories
have the potential to transform....that stories bring to life our deepest held values and
beliefs. Do permit the Postville Story to touch your heart. May it transform your life as it
has mine. And soon...may my deepest hope and the hope of so many others be fulfilled:
May the tragedy of Postville serve as the impetus for comprehensive immigration
reform. I trust that it will if we....
who have ears will listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.
Thank you....Mary McCauley, BVM
February 20, 2010
Postville Project
