Among the tumult of political issues there is one that rears its head up on an international, national, and individual level. That is the issue of immigration in the United States. We hear of big, sweeping movements like the Dream Act, and watch as undocumented community members are deported for minor traffic violations. Yet Iowa’s elected officials are not discussing this issue.
The Midwest and Iowa specifically is an attractive place for immigrants. Iowa has low unemployment rates and living costs, and great educational opportunities. Linn and Johnson counties have seen solid population growth (mainly from immigration) from 2010-2012, for these reasons. Clearly Iowa is not exempt from the national need for immigration reform. We need to start talking about this.
The current patchwork of immigration laws is tearing apart families and harming Iowa business. Undocumented students educated in Iowa cannot use that education because there is no process that applies for them. Children are left parentless because of expired visas. More than 100,000 people have been deported after minor traffic violations. The bureaucracy of employing foreign workers with the use of a visa is so arduous that Iowa farmers, small-business owners, and industries are throwing their hands in the air in surrender. Tackling the issue of immigration is daunting, but something that Iowa has neglected for too long.