Immigrant Voices

My phone rang days after we published an article about the COVID-19 clusters surging in meat packing plants in Iowa. It was a woman, a plant employee, who told me, “We got a text to let us know that we have to show up tomorrow for work, first thing in the morning.” Although I didn’t…

At today’s press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Kim Reynolds whether she had spoken with the workers who were worried that they were being forced to show up to unsafe work conditions. Reynolds replied by turning it back on employees. “That’s a part of educating, you heard me say, not just the employers but the…

At today’s press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Kim Reynolds whether she had spoken with the workers who were worried that they were being forced to show up to unsafe work conditions. Reynolds replied by turning it back on employees. “That’s a part of educating, you heard me say, not just the employers but the…

At today’s press conference, a reporter asked Gov. Kim Reynolds whether she had spoken with the workers who were worried that they were being forced to show up to unsafe work conditions. Reynolds replied by turning it back on employees. “That’s a part of educating, you heard me say, not just the employers but the…

Widespread outbreaks at meat packing plants in the Midwest are quickly becoming the latest crisis in the ongoing pandemic. Hundreds of workers, many of whom are immigrants and refugees, are becoming sick, some have already died, and the resulting plant closures are risking the nation’s food supply chain. In Iowa, a significant percentage of the…

The spread of the coronavirus in Iowa continues to increase, causing many of us in the immigrant community to worry for the most vulnerable among us: undocumented immigrants. Individuals are living in the shadows for lack of documentation in this country, but are working hard to make a living and help Iowa’s economy thrive. They…

During this time of crisis and social distancing, we keep talking about the heroes without a cape that are on the front lines working, even at their own risk and that of their families. The well-deserved list includes doctors and nurses that are working long hours to save lives, police officers that are making sure we…

During this time of crisis and social distancing, we keep talking about the heroes without a cape that are on the front lines working, even at their own risk and that of their families. The well-deserved list includes doctors and nurses that are working long hours to save lives, police officers that are making sure we…

During this time of crisis and social distancing, we keep talking about the heroes without a cape that are on the front lines working, even at their own risk and that of their families. The well-deserved list includes doctors and nurses that are working long hours to save lives, police officers that are making sure we…

My mother had a saying every time I complained about something: “No te quejes por falta de zapatos, cuando otros no tienen pies.” This means, “Don’t complain about not having shoes, when there are those that have no feet.” Mom is gone now, yet her words replay in my mind ever since the coronavirus pandemic…