Jan 10, 2007 8:24 pm US/Central
Families Affected By Meatpacking Raids Get Money
HYRUM, Utah (AP) ―
Families separated and left without money after immigration raids at a meatpacking plant in northern Utah are getting up to $200 each through a $35,000 donation from Swift & Co.
The company gave the money to United Way of Cache Valley. Swift said it has contributed $300,000 to United Way agencies in six states, including Texas, where federal agents arrested nearly 1,300 people Dec. 12.
It is up to United Way to determine the best way to distribute the money, Swift spokesman Sean McHugh said Wednesday.
"They understand and can effectively coordinate services better than we can," McHugh said in an interview from Swift headquarters in Greeley, Colo.
At a meeting Tuesday night at a Catholic church near Logan, people had an opportunity to apply for aid. Rent and utility bills are high on the list, while churches and social-service groups are supplying food and clothing.
About 150 people were arrested at the Swift plant in Hyrum, 10 miles south of Logan, suddenly splitting families.
"They are extremely grateful" for the money, said Rolando Murillo, an insurance agent who belongs to the Latin American Cultural and Educational Association, which is helping families.
"They all want to take care of themselves. Every family is making a decision about what's in the future," Murillo said. "Some relatives are paying for passports for children to take them out of the country to reunite with family."
Ignacio Yturbe said his wife, Naomi, was deported to Mexico last week. He plans to take his two sons and join her.
"Life continues and you have to keep going," he said.
Swift said it has contributed $59,000 to Heartland United Way in Nebraska; $26,000 to Marshalltown Area United Way in Iowa; $68,000 to United Way of Moore County in Texas; $60,000 to United Way of Weld County in Colorado; and $52,000 to Worthington Area United Way in Minnesota.
"Some facilities were affected more than others," McHugh said in explaining the different amounts.
In Grand Island, Neb., where 261 Swift employees were arrested, families can receive up to $400.
"They've not only lost their paycheck, they've lost the ability to go somewhere else to get a paycheck," said Karen Rathke, executive director of Heartland United Way, which has processed 63 applications.
"They're also still living in a state of fear ... not really knowing who to trust yet in the community," she said.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
