Town WorriesThat Illegal Immigrant Raid Is Not So Kosher

In yesterday's Post, an article describes an immigration raid on the Agriprocessor beef plant in Postville, Iowa.

Monday's raid on the Agriprocessors plant, in which 389 immigrants were arrested and many held at a cattle exhibit hall, was the Bush administration's largest crackdown on illegal workers at a single site. It has upended this tree-lined community, which calls itself "Hometown to the World." Half of the school system's 600 students were absent Tuesday, including 90 percent of Hispanic children, because their parents were arrested or in hiding.

...[The] raid on the largest employer in northeast Iowa reflects the administration's decision to put pressure on companies with large numbers of illegal immigrant workers, particularly in the meat industry. But its disruptive impact on the nation's largest supplier of kosher beef and on the surrounding community has provoked renewed criticism that the administration is disproportionately targeting workers instead of employers, and that the resulting turmoil is worse than the underlying crimes.

The yellow, italicky emphasis is mine. Out of everything going on in the story, that's what they're worried about? Kosher beef being disrupted? Fair enough, the nation's ballpark dwellers must not be disappointed, and it pains to even think about the repercussions this might extend to the ratpiss beer industry. Truly, we have a national tragedy on our hands. Let's get another emergency stimulus package out there - a pack of Hebrew Nationals and a case of Miller Lite for every American!

On a side note, Postville might want to reconsider changing that town motto, since it doesn't seem like they going to be able to live up to that whole "Hometown to the World" business.