Santiaga Lopez, Marleny Navarro's sister-in-law, holds Adelfa as Lopez's daughter, Blanca, sits near a pot of homemade tamales. Lopez's husband and Navarro were arrested during the Swift raid in Greeley.STORY TOOLS Email this story | Print
RELATED STORIES Arrested Dec. 12, some workers remain in custody MORE STORIES Tancredo plays name aim in Iowa EXTRA!, May 12 Burger's name stirs a beef Rail line cuts opposed Accused fire chief abruptly resigns Arrested Dec. 12, some workers remain in custody Impact of Swift raid still being felt Two killed, three hurt in crash Carson soldier killed in Iraq More complaints on missing attorney 11 arrested in check-fraud ring Tax theft suspect caught on security tape Others who think they may be victims call police in missing lawyer case Officers cleared in two shootings Grandmother who locked boy in dog kennel gets 3 years in prison Wheat Ridge councilman accused of making harassing phone call A legal bind Denver officials determined Grafner boy was healthy With much ado . . . Douglas County taps ***** as election judges Episcopal Diocese enters battle over parish property By Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News May 12, 2007 GREELEY - Nearly four months after immigration officials raided the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant, Juana Velazquez finally got her husband back. But their problems aren't over.
Velazquez's husband was among the 261 suspected illegal immigrants arrested Dec. 12 after the raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Swift's Greeley headquarters. ICE agents also raided five other Swift plants nationwide and arrested 1,282 workers.
After sitting in an Aurora detention facility for 15 weeks, Manuel Velazquez was allowed to post bail on April 3. He will appear in immigration court on June 20 for a deportation hearing.
He is not allowed to work, and Juana, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, said she is unable to find a job.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay the rent this month or feed my family," said the mother of five, waiting recently for the last $50 grocery gift card she would receive from a local Catholic church. "I don't know who to turn to."
The Swift raids were the largest workplace crackdown ever by ICE. Critics of illegal immigration applauded the action. But for people who were arrested and their families, the impact of the raid is still being felt.
"I think there's a general impression that the raid came and went, and that everything is back to normal. The truth is, it's not over yet," said Father Mario Ramirez, the vicar at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Greeley.
"There are mothers and fathers still being detained. Uncles and aunts are taking care of those children. People can't find work but they still have to pay rent, mortgages and groceries," Ramirez said. "There is fear and uncertainty."
Donated money dries up
After the raid, thousands of dollars were collected to help the families with basics such as food and rent. Catholic Charities USA alone has helped 130 families whose loved ones were arrested at the Swift plant.
But the money is all but gone, creating even more uncertainty.
Most of the people arrested have been deported, left the country on their own, or are waiting to appear before an immigration judge. Five others have completed sentences for having false identifications.
Fifteen to 20 workers remain in custody at the ICE detention facility in Aurora, said Christina Fiflis, a Boulder immigration attorney who has represented scores of Swift workers.
Those still in the area and their families are having a tough time finding work.
The raid has made local employers more reluctant than ever to hire anyone without proper documentation. Even those who find a job have to worry about being discovered.
Marta Morales, a mother of six who avoided arrest by hiding in the Swift plant's fabrication department, used a different name to land a job at a local restaurant. But she said she was fired after five days when a co-worker identified her as a former Swift employee.
With few options left, some families have gone back to Mexico or Guatemala. Morales hopes to stay, intending to join the ranks of migrant fieldworkers.
"There is no work in Guatemala for women like us, women with little or no skills or preparation," she said.
"Even if they pay me $5 an hour, I come out way ahead than if I was working in my home country. At least I was able to send money to my mother, who has no one to help her since my father died," she said.
She said her husband, a legal resident, has been able to pick up some extra hours at his job to make ends meet.
"I'm hoping that I'll be able to at least find farm work when the weather gets warmer," Morales said. "Maybe they won't ask for documents."
Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Loveland, a vocal supporter of opening an ICE office in Greeley, said he was "encouraged" by the effects of the Swift raid on the community.
He also cited legislation such as House Bill 1017. The state law that went into effect Jan. 1 requires employers to follow stricter procedures to document that new workers are here legally.
"If, in fact, more employers and employees are playing by the rules, and if people who are here illegally are finding it difficult to disobey the law, that's good news for my constituents," Lundberg said.
Children are the priority
After the raid, donations poured in from all over the country. But the safety net for families has unraveled.
"There was a tremendous response from the public. But none of us expected this to drag on this far," said Helen Somersall, director of Catholic Charities of Denver, Northern Colorado Office.
Swift donated $60,000 through United Way of Weld County for the affected families. United Way raised an additional $26,000 in private donations. A coalition, including representatives from United Way, Catholic Charities and Our Lady of Peace helped coordinate the aid.
"Our priority has been the children. We were concerned with their immediate needs, that they were housed, warm and safe. There's little left that can be done for many of the remaining families. Social services such as food stamps and Medicaid, undocumented people do not qualify for," Somersall said.
Al Frente de Lucha, a longtime Hispanic community organization, was part of the coalition helping the Swift families. But project manager Ricardo Romero left the group, frustrated by what he called "unnecessary red tape" and a lack of coordination by some of the agencies.
"They were making people jump through hoops, and that's not what these people need right now," said Romero, who said his organization raised an additional $8,000 for food.
At his storefront office in the heavily Hispanic east side of Greeley, the building covered with colorful murals of Hispanic leaders and political slogans, Romero was distributing the last of the beans, rice and other staples.
"There's not a lot we can do now for the people, but at least I'm proud to say that not one kid ended up in social services," he said. "That speaks to the cohesiveness of this community."
Among those who had stopped by for food recently were illegal Guatemalan immigrants Marleny Navarro and her sister-in-law, Santiaga Lopez.
They share a modest home with their husbands and U.S.-born children in central Greeley. Pictures of Jesus, saints, the Virgin Mary and Pope John Paul II cover the living room walls.
Navarro had worked for three years at Swift before she was arrested and released later the same evening. Lopez said her husband, also a Swift worker, was picked up and jailed for nearly four months before she raised the $10,000 her attorney said was needed to get him out. Most bonds were between $2,000 and $5,000, said Fiflis, the Boulder attorney.
Taking advantage?
Sylvia Martinez, a Greeley community activist, said a major concern was that some attorneys and notarios - notary publics that, in some parts of Latin America, are considered similar to attorneys - might be charging desperate families too much to get their loved ones out of jail.
While her husband was in jail, Lopez, who said she can neither read nor write, collected aluminum cans with Navarro. Her husband will appear before an immigration judge in August. Until then, he has worked a few labor jobs with Navarro's husband at construction sites.
"There's nothing for us in Guatemala but poverty and sadness," said Lopez, whose primary language is a dialect called K'iche. "There, we planted corn and beans. My husband made $11 a day - on a good day."
Navarro was seven months pregnant when she was taken into custody. She was given the option of voluntary departure or a hearing before a judge. She chose the hearing, scheduled for Oct. 20.
Navarro's husband, a legal resident, works construction jobs. At Swift, she made more than twice as much as he does.
"We're just getting by, but I don't care about that," she said. "I ask God every day to let me stay with my family here."
A new study says that 80 percent of Americans think people should let their feelings out, but that only 15 percent say they do it often.
So, if you need a good cry, just do it. Oh, and it's always interesting to see who is behind these studies...let's see...oh! Kleenex.
Kleenex is here to act as the facilitator between encouragement and release so people can share their feelings because, ultimately, they'll just feel better," says Matt Crum of Kleenex.
Get a life, S12. You're already a Power Member and nobody cares about your sorry posts anymore. Geez! You're definitely not part of my Mensa club. We have alot of fun - and it doesn't revolve around talks of illegal immigration!
PAGO MAS ALTO EN PRODUCTION $15.20 SE EMPIEZA A $11.85
BONOS DE SERVICIO HASTA $1,000 BUENOS BENEFICIOS - AYUDA DE RUBICACION
Venga a Vernos
HWY 287, Schroeder Industrial Park in
CACTUS TX
Lunes - Viernes 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
ABIERTO LOS SABADOS 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. CITAS DISPONIBLE DESPUES DEL HORARIO REGULAR
*Swift & Company es un Empleador de Oportunidad Igual*
Application:
Name: Someone12 Address: Hell Reason for Applying: Desire to try to do job Americans won't do.
Interviewers Note: HR, hire this man immediately. He has a strong work ethic and overly-anxious to show the U.S. that he as an American is dedicated to his patriotic cause of demonstrating Americans will do the jobs the illegals had been given.
one day later...
Exit interview:
Mr. Interviewer: Mr. Doofus, please explain you're reason for leaving.
Mr. Doofus: Man, oh man! I can't handle this no mo!! When I saw your ad, I thought I'd really show'em all that this is one 'ol tough bubba that walks the walk and doesn't just talk the talk but, oh, I'm so embarrassed now....It's too hard! I want more money now, like hey, maybe $25/hr and if I can't get it I just can't handle this and I don't have to do it. Nope, sure don't have to. I'm gonna find me something else real quick like!
Tell ya what man, I don't think I could handle this type of work no matter what ya'd give me. I know it's low-skilled but hey, we're all a little greedy if we can be, right? I alway figure somebody else'll take this job if I don't want it. And boy howdy, belive me Mr. Interviewer - gonna have to give it to somebody else!
My back is killing me, my hands hurt and I'm so afraid I'm going to catch a cold. I know I shouldn't be so demanding and whining but...Oh, I don't know how all those illegals that ICE arrested ever did this work. I just can't do it. It's way too cold in here and it's nasty, bloody, and it just scares me to have to see where my cuts of meat come from.
Tell ya another thang, Mr. Interviewer, I ain't gonna think the same way no more like I used to. I'm gettin' a whole new way of thinkin' right now! Sort of like my one day here gave me a little attitude adjustment. Now I see why Americans don't wanna do these type of jobs. I can see clearly now! I experienced it for myself! I ain't sick of them illegals no more after this day a work here with ya'll!
I'm outta here man, maybe you can get those illegals back. I just ain't got the guts for this. I'm sorry Mr. Interviewer, just ain't got the as$ to handle this. See ya! I'm outta here!!
Uh oh, almost forgot, Mr. Interviewer, can ya give me a reduction of force lay-off paper 'cause I sure don't know how I'm gonna make them folks down there at that there unemployment office believe me that I can't handle this job. Please, Mr. Interviewer, please, hep me out. I'd rather sit back and watch my tv and drink my Pabst Blue Ribbon than do this here work you gave me. I don't have to do it and I ain't a gonna do it ever again!
(sound of telephone ringing) Hello, Security, this is Mr. Interviewer. Please escort Mr. Doofus to the parking lot. I'm sick and tired of his weeping and whining.....
(sound of screeching tires and dust flying) Mr. Doofus > "Bye, Bye-Bye, Adios!" "I'm outta here and I ain't comin' back neither!
(His words were heard all the way over to Palo Duro Canyon!)
... quick...somebody get a box of Kleenex!
This message has been edited. Last edited by: explora,
Where is your humanity? These people are human beings just like me and you !!! They found themselves in an unfortunate and desperate aituation. They did what they did do put food on the tables of their families. They sacrificed their life and riked death and prison to provide for their families. Maybe they were not crying because they got caught but becausse now they can not feed their children. Can you blame people for breaking the law to feed their children? God help anyone who is so deperate. May God Bless America !
This message has been edited. Last edited by: SonofMichael,
Impeach Obama ! ............................... SOM - THE VOICE OF REASON
Originally posted by SonofMichael: Where is your humanity? These people are human beings just like me and you !!! They found themselves in an unfortunate and desperate aituation. They did what they did do put food on the tables of their families. They sacrificed their life and riked death and prison to provide for their families. Maybe they were not crying because they got caught but becausse now they can not feed their children. Can you blame people for breaking the law to feed their children? God help anyone who is so deperate. May God Bless America !
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"Bye, Bye-Bye, Adios!" "I'm outta here and I ain't comin' back neither! 
