Iowa State Patrol secured the entrance to Agriprocessors Inc., kosher meat packing plant in Postville Monday. The buses sat waiting to take detainees to the grounds of the Waterloo Cattle Congress fairgrounds for further processing. (Photo by Trudy Balcom)

Agriprocessors Inc., the largest employer in Allamakee County and the world’s largest glatt kosher meat packing plant, was abruptly shut down when federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entered the plant at 10 a.m. Monday.

Two arrest warrants were served.

One arrest warrant, served on Agriprocessors, sought individuals involved in aggravated identity theft and the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers.

The second warrant allowed for the arrest of 390 immigrant employees on civil immigration violations. Some ICE agents may have been dispatched to the homes of employees in Postville.

Dozens of federal, state and local officials descended on the site of the Postville meat packer, including ICE, Iowa State Troopers, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa Department of Public Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Marshals.

ICE spokesman Harold Ort would not say exactly how many people were involved in the raid, saying only that there was staff "sufficient to make the arrests."

The raid was the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement action ever carried out in the United States.

As many as five helicopters hovered over the town of 2,200 as part of the security detail of the raid. According to a report in the New York Times, a former supervisor in the plant told federal authorities that a methamphetamine lab had operated inside the plant and that some employees carried weapons. Authorities have not yet confirmed this.

Management and administrative staff were questioned along with those who worked the lines of the plant. While the helicopters had departed by late afternoon, buses were still arriving to transport immigrant detainees who were taken to Estelle Hall on the grounds of the Cattle Congress at Waterloo.

By late Tuesday afternoon, 10 men and 10 women who were apprehended in the raid had been served with criminal charges including aggravated identity theft and false use of Social Security numbers, according to Bob Teig, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The rest of the people detained were still being processed for civil immigration violations. They included 304 men who are being held at the grounds of the Waterloo Cattle Congress, and 66 women who are being held at various county jails in the area.

Guatemalan immigrants made up the bulk of the people arrested, with 290.

According to Teig, no legal actions have been taken against Agriprocessors Inc.

On Monday afternoon, anxious expressions and a few tears marked the faces of frightened Hispanic immigrant families gathered at St. Bridget Catholic Church, seeking refuge. Of course, many people were searching for information about family members missing in the raid. Others were avoiding house-to-house raids that ICE may have been conducting.

About 300 people, including many children were inside the modest church at 5 p.m. yesterday, but they began arriving by late morning.

"People can stay here until we know that it is safe for them to return [to their homes]," explained Sister Mary McCauley, who is pastoral administrator at the church.

Volunteers, she said, spontaneously began showing up at the church around noon. Individuals and members of organizations came to bring food and other supplies, knowing that people would make their way to the church.

The Red Cross came with sleeping mats and blankets, a local clinic brought diapers and baby formula, student translators from Luther College and a priest from Marshalltown, Iowa, came to help as well.

Several teachers and the principal of the local elementary school were also at the church, trying to ensure the safety of students, some of whom had both parents detained in the raid.

In a scene of organized chaos, people lined up for food served from the church kitchen while children romped on the sleeping mats or settled in to watch a video. Many people were filling out power-of-attorney and other documents to provide for the protection of their children and property in the event they were taken into custody. Others lined up to report the names of family members likely taken in the raid in an effort to create a list of the missing. In the sanctuary, information and announcements blared out in Spanish over the P.A. system.

The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has established a hotline for those seeking the names of persons detained for possible immigration violations in the Postville raid; call (866) 341-3858.

The Prairie du Chien School Board voted 7-1 at its regular meeting Monday night in favor of adopting the integrated math program at Prairie du Chien High School. Board member Lonnie Achenbach voted against the measure.

The integrated math program had been in the development process for the past three years. In the past three School Board meetings, the subject heated up when several parents raised objections. The parents said that integrated math has gaps and does not adequately address algebra and geometry so as to fully prepare students for college math courses.

At the April 28 meeting, the board gave four options regarding replacing algebra 1 and geometry with integrated math 1 and 2.

The options were:

1. Eliminate algebra 1 and geometry and require all incoming freshmen to take integrated math 1 and 2 in their place.

2. In addition to integrated math 1 and 2, offer a "skinny" course in both algebra 1 and geometry.

3. Allow parents to have their students take an online course in algebra 1 and geometry in addition to integrated math 1 and 2 at a cost of $350 per course.

4. Go back to the traditional track of algebra 1 and geometry and eliminate integrated math.

Monday night’s vote didn’t follow any of these options fully. The vote was 7-1 in favor of what amounted to a combination of options 2 and 3. In addition to integrated math 1 and 2, "skinny" courses in both algebra 1 and geometry will be offered as well as the online courses in algebra 1 and geometry. s.

Assistant High School Principal Aaron Amundson, a former math teacher at the high school, gave a brief presentation in which examples of math problems from integrated math textbooks and algebra textbooks were compared.

"We don’t feel that there are gaps," said Amundson. "The math is the same."

Some parents pointed out that the wording was somewhat simpler regarding the integrated math.

Board President Brian Edwards said that the high school math teachers feel that the integrated math program does not have "gaps" and that it does adequately prepare students for algebra 2. Edwards said that the district should follow the recommendation of the teachers.

"This is a real struggle," said Edwards regarding the continued striving by the school district to improve math and other programs. "There is no right or wrong."

"I feel we should continue on with what the teachers (recommend). They work with this day in and day out," continued Edwards, who noted that it has been a long process to develop the integrated math program and that teachers, students and parents worked on the review committee.

"This is an ongoing process, attempting to improve in all subjects," Edwards said.

About 20 people attended the meeting, a mixture of parents and teachers. The group was relatively quiet during the meeting Monday night but had previously voiced their concerns in prior meetings. Many of the parents have said that the integrated math program is not adequate in preparing students for higher-level math courses. They also said that the School Board could have addressed an option 5, in which there would be integrated math 1 and 2, as well as full courses in algebra 1 and geometry as an alternative for parents to choose depending upon their student’s learning style and what path in education their student would pursue.

Following the vote regarding integrated math, the board went into closed session to discuss other matters. A group of several parents stayed in the hall, however, and discussed the math situation. The group was clearly not happy with the board’s decision.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," said one parent in expressing exasperation. "They’re dumbing down the whole system."

In other business, the board:

• Heard a presentation by board member Jamie Wager who was speaking as a concerned parent about the district’s policy regarding the administration of prescription medication. The policy will be reviewed at an upcoming meeting.

• Heard a presentation by Dr. Amy Kvidera concerning latex allergies from latex gloves, balloons and other sources. Kvidera suggested that latex gloves and latex balloons be banned from the schools because reactions can range from mild to life-threatening, depending upon the individual. Food allergies will also be discussed during the June 16 School Board meeting.

Dealton’s letters from the war provide insights about the daily life of a soldier, and his journals, reproduced as written, offer details of his life as farmer and lawyer. A Feb. 1, 1858 entry says, "went to River and measured wood. . . Made Deeds for Anson & Anderson Gave Anderson note 100 to buy paper in philips case." A December 4, 1861 entry notes, "Dicksons Horse Run awy and put Dicksons ankle out of Joint and broke his leg above the ankle I took to Lamarus & Set his ankle then went and picked up the things...."

The book, a fascinating read for almost anyone, should be of special interest to area residents and those interested in Civil War history. It is available online from the publisher’s website. Go to Lulu.com and, in "search," enter Civil War P.O.W., and that brings it up.

Dean LaPointe, chairman of the Prairie du Chien Veterans Memorial Committee, is also asking people to please continue to forward any Prairie du Chien veterans’ names to the Veterans Service Office at the Crawford County Administrative Building. The committee is seeking names of veterans that are not on the memorial at the Old Rock School located on Marquette Road. The Veterans Service Office can be reached at (608) 326-0204 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Callers should ask for Laura Moore.

La Pointe also said that people should feel free to stop by the existing memorial and report any discrepancies that they may find, such as misspelled names, names that should not be on the memorial, etc.

La Pointe said that the Memorial Committee is working very hard on the project of erecting a brand new five-sided memorial. The location for the new memorial has not yet been determined.

"We are working closely with the Veteran’s Service Office, and the Prairie du Chien Jaycees in setting up some functions in the area," said La Pointe. "The Veteran’s Service Office and the Jaycees have been very helpful. One of the combined events with our local veterans and the Jaycees will be operating a food booth in front of Wal-Mart on Memorial Day weekend." The dates for the event will be May 25 and 26.

"We hope to have a strong turnout from the community," said La Pointe. "This is a great opportunity to remember those who have given so much for us."

During the Memorial Day weekend event at Wal-Mart, local veterans will be handing out flyers for the new memorial, along with paver applications. Applications will be on hand for both the 4x8 and 12x12 pavers.

Paver applications are also available at Tiller’s Furniture, Dick’s Piggly Wiggly, WQPC/WPRE, Peoples State Bank, Shopping News and The Courier Press.