On Friday, Sept. 28 Marshalltown Police with assistance from the Marshalltown Sheriff’s Department and the Grinnell Police Department arrested 16 individuals at the Monsanto Seed Company, many of them charged with violation of the Iowa state laws of forgery and/or identity theft.
Those arrested worked for Manpower, Inc. which was subcontracted by Monsanto. Originally there were 26 arrest warrants but only 16 were actually arrested.
An officer from the Grinnell Police Department says that his department was on standby and was only called to assist for security purposes at the Monsanto plant which is located just outside of Grinnell. The sheriff’s department says that they only assisted with transportation of the detainees and that the Marshalltown Police Department is a different entity.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was not involved in the actual arrests but will now deal with those who are undocumented. According to a Detroit ICE official the police department was provided with expertise assistance and administration prior to the arrests. The Marshalltown Police Department would not comment on the details of the arrests and as of
Monday, Police Chief David Lon Walker took an undisclosed number of personal days off and our phone calls were never returned by Capt. Jack McAllister. The Marshalltown prosecutor’s office was also instructed to direct any questions regarding the arrests to Capt. Brian Batterson, who was not in when we called.
According to Marshall County Chief Jailer Steven W. Hoffman, those jailed are allowed a phone called to their loved ones during the booking process and may post bond. But for these individuals ICE has placed a ‘detainer’ or hold so that they may not be released until they deal with them first. Even though forgery and identity theft charges are routinely filed, it is uncommon to have that many people jailed for such charges.
“I haven’t seen that number before,” Chief Hoffman said about the number of people in his jail charged with these violations.
Advocates criticize the arrests saying that the sole purpose of the raid at the Monsanto plant was to capture undocumented individuals and ultimately get them deported.
“It’s a big part of the goal here, but I don’t know why,” said Boliver Law Firm Attorney Christopher Clausen. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a state or city sponsored enforcement effort.”
Clausen is representing some of the detainees and says that the authorities are more concerned with people who are working under an assumed identity.
Civil rights leaders worry that this may create even more of a divide between the police and the immigrant community and will result in many crimes not being reported for fear of getting deported.
This past December 12, ICE conducted a raid at the Marshalltown Swift Company and left many outraged because the raid was conducted on the day many Mexicans celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe and just days before Christmas.
Some police departments throughout Iowa, including Marshalltown, are asking for funding to implement ICE 287(g) which is a program that gives local police and sheriff departments the authority help enforce U.S. immigration law.
These programs must first be approved by city councils. Currently local law enforcement has no jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration laws, in this manner they are able to assist in arresting individuals with state charges without ICE getting the national attention they receive when they conduct raids. ICE then is contacted when they think there could be issues with immigration.
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