Immigration agents remove Postville women's ankle bracelets

A normally somber group of Postville women smiled, laughed and chattered like New Year's Eve partygoers Wednesday after federal immigration agents removed the electronic tracking devices they had worn on their ankles for the past 19 months.

“I feel very good, very happy today,” said Alicia Lopez Nava, one of 11 immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala who had the ankle bracelets removed at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids.

The women had been wearing the tracking devices since shortly after the May 12, 2008, immigration raid at the former Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville. They had been arrested along with nearly 400 other Agriprocessors workers who were in the country illegally, but they were released from custody to care for their children.

ICE had initially ordered 46 detainees to wear the tracking devices, but all of the others had been removed before Wednesday.

Maria Ruiz-Chuy said her happiness at the removal of the bracelet is tempered by uncertainty.

“I don't want to think about the future,” which could include deportation to her native Guatemala, she said.

The ICE agents who removed the bracelets said nothing about the women's status, according to Violeta Aleman, a parish liaison at Postville's St. Bridget Catholic Church who accompanied the women to their Wednesday appointment.

All 11 of the women have pending applications for status as legal residents, Aleman said.

Two of the women, she said, have been subpoenaed to testify in the Jan. 19 trial of former Agriprocessors supervisor Brent Beebe, who has been charged with aiding and abetting illegal workers, harboring illegal workers and document fraud.

“They don't know what is going to happen next. They take everything one step at a time. Today was a happy step,” Aleman said.

A normally somber group of Postville women smiled, laughed and chattered like New Year's Eve partygoers Wednesday after federal immigration agents removed the electronic tracking devices they had worn on their ankles for the past 19 months.

“I feel very good, very happy today,” said Alicia Lopez Nava, one of 11 immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala who had the ankle bracelets removed at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids.

The women had been wearing the tracking devices since shortly after the May 12, 2008, immigration raid at the former Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville. They had been arrested along with nearly 400 other Agriprocessors workers who were in the country illegally, but they were released from custody to care for their children.

ICE had initially ordered 46 detainees to wear the tracking devices, but all of the others had been removed before Wednesday.

Maria Ruiz-Chuy said her happiness at the removal of the bracelet is tempered by uncertainty.

“I don't want to think about the future,” which could include deportation to her native Guatemala, she said.

The ICE agents who removed the bracelets said nothing about the women's status, according to Violeta Aleman, a parish liaison at Postville's St. Bridget Catholic Church who accompanied the women to their Wednesday appointment.

All 11 of the women have pending applications for status as legal residents, Aleman said.

Two of the women, she said, have been subpoenaed to testify in the Jan. 19 trial of former Agriprocessors supervisor Brent Beebe, who has been charged with aiding and abetting illegal workers, harboring illegal workers and document fraud.

“They don't know what is going to happen next. They take everything one step at a time. Today was a happy step,” Aleman said.