Positions filled, but outcomes mixed for 200 Ottumwa workers who lost work visas

OTTUMWA — More than three months after roughly 200 meatpacking plant workers in Ottumwa were notified that their work visas were being revoked, some have moved, while others have found other immigration statuses to remain and work.

In July, meatpacking company JBS USA’s Ottumwa location, the town's largest employer, announced that it would have to let go 200 workers who were notified they were no longer authorized to work in the country after the Trump administration revoked temporary legal status for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who were granted temporary protected status during the Biden administration.

Temporary protected status is a legal status provided to some nationals of countries that are experiencing problems creating conditions that are too unsafe for people to be deported back.

While the number of workers who were actually let go is unknown, some have remained in the area due to family ties, while others have moved away to find work elsewhere, according to Brian Ulin, the secretary-treasurer for the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1846 that represents Ottumwa JBS workers.

“Some of them (workers) had just moved once to get here within the last six months. You know, and then they had to pick up and leave again,” Ulin said. “That was by no fault of their own. They came here the legal way, did what they thought was right, followed all the channels.”

Ulin said that JBS has been able to fill all of the positions of workers who had their work visas revoked, adding that some current workers had to pick up additional workload while the new hires were trained.

“Now (the new workers are) on the line, working with them, but at first, I do think some of the workers did have to pick up more of a workload than they should have,” Ulin said.

Ulin also said that some workers were able to work with lawyers to get their immigration status changed and remain employed by the company.

JBS did not respond to a request for comment for this story but told The Gazette in July that the company is focused on hiring people legally authorized to work in the country and said their facilities were operating normally.

“We are only informing them that we have been made aware of their change in status. If those employees are unable to present evidence of ongoing/reverified work authorization, then we are required to terminate their employment,” a company spokesperson responded in an email to The Gazette in July.

League of United Latin American Citizens, Iowa State Director Joe Henry said that TPS being revoked from Iowa workers will have negative impacts on local communities and economies moving forward.

"It's unfair. They came here on this protective status, and now they're being told that they no longer can work here," Henry said. "This has an impact on them, their families, the local community. We know that we are lacking enough workers in many different industries, and so it has an impact on everyone."

Tom Barton of The Gazette contributed to this report.