Former illegal Agriprocessors workers being deported by end of month

Reynaldo Lopez said his home has been in Postville for 10 years and he would like to stay in America but he is being deported to Mexico by the end of the month.

“I have two sons,” Lopez, a former Agriprocessors supervisor in the beef department, said. “They will go with me. I have family in Mexico.”

Lopez and nine others from Mexico, who were arrested and charged in the Agriprocessors raid in May 2008, picked up paperwork today at the Immigration Customs and Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids today. They will be deported by March 31.

Immigration officials wouldn't allow the media to talk with Lopez on the property, so he briefly talked outside of Metro Buffet restaurant. A volunteer from Hope Wesleyan Church in Independence took the group to the chinese buffect for lunch. Lopez requested his photo not be taken. “Everyone wants to stay but we signed papers (to be deported),” Lopez said. “They explained it to us when we were in Waterloo (at National Cattle Congress) but I don't know if all understand.”

Lopez and the others were among the 389 arrested and charged in the raid. They pleaded guilty in court proceedings set up at the National Cattle Congress a few days after the raid.

Most accepted plea agreements with the government which allowed them to plead guilty to lesser charges related to identity theft as long as they volunteered to be deported.

Some of the illegal workers were allowed to stay in this area because they were material witnesses in criminal trials against former Agriprocessors managers.

More former illegal workers from Guatalmela will receive their paperwork for deportation on Wednesday, said Violeta Aleman, a volunteer from St. Bridget's Church in Postville, who's been helping the immigrants.

Larry Wright, volunteer driver with Hope Wesleyan, said he has driven more than 100 immigrants from Postville to various appointments they had in Chicago or Des Moines with immigrant officials.

“It's very sad to see this happening,” Wright said. “It's the way the government is set up and how they've handled it. Now, they're chasing them off. They're very nice people, honest. They can't speak much English but they always thanked me.”