By: Daniel Nardini
The small town of West Liberty, Iowa, may be like so many other small mid-western towns in that state. Except for one thing—52 percent of the town’s population of 3,700 is Latino. It is the largest Latino majority town in the state, and probably the largest in the whole U.S. Midwest. How did this occur? Latinos have lived there for decades, and more have come because of the turkey processing plant there. With the arrival of so many Latinos from Latin America and other parts of the U.S., the town’s economy has grown even in the worst of economic times.
It is not to say that there have been no tensions, but for the most part the people of this town—whether they are Latino or not—have accepted the other. The school system is fully integrated, and Spanish is taught alongside English. The main stumbling blocks are the police force and city council which remain non-Hispanic white. But with any luck this may change too. The police force does not try to harass Latinos, and Latinos try to work with the police to fight crime. Many Latino businesses and businesses that cater to Latinos can be found in West Liberty.
The main problems for this town come from largely without. Many Latino residents complain of being arrested by county and state police because they are Latino. The greatest fear is what the federal government might do. In 2008, Immigration and Customs Enforcement swooped down on the town of Postville, Iowa, and arrested well over 200 people. Immigration arrested one in five residents of the town and kicked out hundreds of people and their families from the United States. This led to many more Latino residents—both legal and undocumented—fleeing the town. Postville is largely now a ghost town with empty homes, empty apartments, and boarded up businesses.
Whatever internal problems West Liberty has, the Latino and non-Hispanic white residents are more concerned with what the state or federal governments might do. If left to themselves, the residents of this town can deal with their own problems and find their own solutions. As former U.S. Senator Tip O’Neil once said, “all politics are local.” West Liberty is an excellent example of a place that is dealing with its own problems and finding solutions that best fit them. Let us hope the state and federal governments take a cue from that.
The Example of West Liberty
By: Daniel Nardini
It is not to say that there have been no tensions, but for the most part the people of this town—whether they are Latino or not—have accepted the other. The school system is fully integrated, and Spanish is taught alongside English. The main stumbling blocks are the police force and city council which remain non-Hispanic white. But with any luck this may change too. The police force does not try to harass Latinos, and Latinos try to work with the police to fight crime. Many Latino businesses and businesses that cater to Latinos can be found in West Liberty.
The main problems for this town come from largely without. Many Latino residents complain of being arrested by county and state police because they are Latino. The greatest fear is what the federal government might do. In 2008, Immigration and Customs Enforcement swooped down on the town of Postville, Iowa, and arrested well over 200 people. Immigration arrested one in five residents of the town and kicked out hundreds of people and their families from the United States. This led to many more Latino residents—both legal and undocumented—fleeing the town. Postville is largely now a ghost town with empty homes, empty apartments, and boarded up businesses.
Whatever internal problems West Liberty has, the Latino and non-Hispanic white residents are more concerned with what the state or federal governments might do. If left to themselves, the residents of this town can deal with their own problems and find their own solutions. As former U.S. Senator Tip O’Neil once said, “all politics are local.” West Liberty is an excellent example of a place that is dealing with its own problems and finding solutions that best fit them. Let us hope the state and federal governments take a cue from that.