Postville, Iowa, raid detainees make initial court appearances

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By The Associated Press | Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:40 AM CDT | () comments

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DES MOINES — Dozens of people arrested in the nation’s largest immigration raid were ushered through a temporary federal courthouse Wednesday for initial court appearances, in groups of about 10 represented by the same attorney.

The proceedings followed a raid Monday at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in which 390 people were arrested. About 154 face criminal charges and are expected to be processed in a makeshift courtroom at the Cattle Congress grounds in Waterloo by today, said Bob Teig, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Those who face only immigration charges will appear before an immigration judge after the others are processed.

“The court hearings have gone smoothly,” Teig said. “We’ve had people from our office working 24 hours in shifts to get paperwork processed as quick as we can.”

Some groups have criticized the court proceedings and the workload being placed on the attorneys representing the detainees.

Randall Wilson, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union, said it would be difficult for an attorney with 10 or more clients to serve each one adequately. He said detainees may feel pressured by prosecutors to accept early plea deals and may plead guilty without proper counseling.

“The typical rush to either cave in or suffer the full force of the law ... is going on here,” Wilson said. “It’s not a situation where the attorneys taking on these cases have a whole lot of time to make their decisions.

“While we are fans of speedy justice, justice in haste leads to a lot of problems.”

Sonia Parras Konrad, an immigration lawyer representing about 30 of the detainees, said prosecutors have given about half her clients one week to consider plea deals offered Wednesday.

Under the offer, detainees would spend at least five months in prison and afterward be deported without a hearing, she said. The alternative is a trial in which they could be convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for identity theft and false use of a Social Security number.

“They’re being rushed,” Parras Konrad said. “(Prosecutors) want this to go away fast. ... It’s a calculated operation to make sure there is an example set with this particular group of people.”

The raid affected nearly half the work force at Agriprocessors, the world’s largest kosher meatpacking plant. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 314 men and 76 women, most from Guatemala and Mexico but also some from Ukraine and Israel.

The U.S. attorney’s office would not comment on whether company officials could face criminal charges. Teig said it’s likely more people would be arrested but would not say how many.

Meanwhile, Agriprocessors resumed operations and says it will cooperate with any further investigation.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families whose lives were disrupted and wish them the best,” the company said in a statement. “We are deeply committed to meeting the needs of all of our customers.”

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