Immigration in Iowa Congressman Steven King’s district

More than half the public school students in Denison, a city in Congressman Steven King’s congressional district, are Hispanic. But only 6% of the district’s population is Hispanic. These juxtaposing figures speak volumes about the disproportionate role of immigrants of child bearing age, and being in the workforce, in the interior of the United States. And, about the isolation of native born whites who send their kids to private Christian schools.

As the New York Times reports, [a local resident] heard dairy farmers say they couldn’t get their cows milked without immigrants. “You can put an ad in the paper and you won’t get two white guys to apply,” said Mr. Wielenga, who grew up on a dairy farm himself.

He heard of the ruinous damage an immigration raid had done to families. “Some of these kids were born in the U.S.,” he said. “These families had lived here 10 years, and all of a sudden, Dad’s gone, Mom’s gone. When you think of it from that perspective, what’s the lesser of two evils?”

Until 2015, Denison, Iowa was a center for meatpacking. Tyson closed the facility laying off 400 due to lack of supply of beef. At the time, there were plenty of unfilled jobs in the area.

 

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