US EditionHow Mass Immigration Raids Impact Communities
POSTVILLE, IOWA AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, JUL 16 – Nearly 400 arrested in Postville's 2008 raid and over 3,000 in recent Southern California sweeps disrupt food labor and increase community instability, officials say.
- On May 12, 2008, ICE arrested nearly 400 people in the largest workplace immigration raid at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.
- The raid disrupted the small town's economy and community, taking years to recover due to mass detentions and deportations.
- Immigrants now fill most local jobs and drive much of the economy, while nationwide raids continue to threaten food supply chains and communities.
- As of mid-June 2025, ICE held 56,000 detainees, and nearly 3,000 arrests occurred in recent Southern California raids, with over 100 businesses engaged in protection initiatives.
- These events suggest ongoing federal immigration enforcement causes social strain, legal challenges, and community efforts to maintain housing, food access, and rights.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Raids, arrests and deportations: The economic toll of closed borders
This week, we focus on the unprecedented immigration crackdown currently taking place in the United States under President Donald Trump. We head to Los Angeles, where our team meets local business owners whose shops are on the brink of bankruptcy, as workers and customers are staying home to avoid ICE raids. Plus, Charles Pellegrin talks to Tara Watson, director of the Center for Economic Security and Opportunity at the Brookings Institution.
How Mass Immigration Raids Impact Communities
On May 12, 2008, the small town of Postville, Iowa became known as the site of one of the largest immigration raids in recent history when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 400 people at a local slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant. Seventeen years later, residents say they are still recovering from the emotional and economic toll of the raid. Correspondent Jessica Gomez travels to Postville to speak with community member…
Helena Independent Record
What does an ICE raid mean for families left behind? 'A breadwinner was taken away'
Life goes on for the families of the immigrants detained in a recent Nebraska ICE raid. "These are still children that are U.S. citizens that need their needs met."
Los Angeles Times
The Daily GazetteDog caught up in ICE raid where owner was seized is found
An ICE raid left a dog without his owner. Then the pet was abandoned at an undisclosed shelter. Advocates searched, fearing he could be put down. And this week they found him.
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