The irony is staggering: JBS subsidiary Pilgrim’s Pride donated $5 million to Trump’s inauguration, only to watch his administration immediately revoke visas for 200 of their Ottumwa workers from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These legal workers—nearly 10% of the plant’s workforce—are being told to leave the country immediately.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker talk about Trump’s immigration crackdown and how its hitting Ottumwa.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by Zachary Oren Smith and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.
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*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
0:00 – Trump Revokes 200 JBS Worker Visas in Ottumwa
0:44 – Immigration Is the Only Reason Iowa’s Population Is Growing
1:30 – JBS Donated to Trump, Then Lost Workers to His Policies
2:05 – Western Iowa Tech’s Student Visa Exploitation Scandal
3:00 – “Culinary Internships” Were Actually Factory Line Work
3:43 – Judge Rules: Western Tech Engaged in “Indentured Servitude”
4:33 – “We Don’t Need Them” vs. Reality Check
5:00 – $5 Million Gold Cards: Immigration Only for the Rich
5:30 – Force Americans Into Exploitative Jobs by Design
6:00 – Kicking People Off Medicaid to Fill Factory Positions
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