The Associated Press State & Local Wire
February 27, 2006 Monday
Marshalltown leaders committed to helping immigrants
MARSHALLTOWN Iowa
With immigrants increasingly moving into the local work force and education system,
community leaders here say they are committed to helping the newcomers.
About 3,200 of the approximately 26,000 people living in Marshalltown are immigrants,
with most coming from Mexico. They work primarily in meatpacking plants, for
construction companies and in other employment areas with entry-level positions that
don't require higher education.
"We see it every day in our economy," said Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce
President Ken Anderson on Saturday during an immigration forum.
About 200 people attended the event, which was sponsored by the Iowa Council for
International Understanding.
"These folks are customers in our stores and employees in our workplace," Anderson
said.
John Cahill, an administrator at the Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center, said
many newcomers are between 18 and 35 years old and bring spouses and children with
them, prompting a need for obstetricians, gynecologists and pediatricians.
If it wasn't for the growing number of immigrants and their children, some schools would
have to close due to declining enrollments, said Thomas Renze, a local elementary
school principal.
"We need to take the long view of where will we be in five or 10 years," he said. "These
children are not going to go away. They are going to be our future citizens. We need to
help them to be productive members of our society."
Renze said Spanish-speaking children need about a year to develop English-language
skills for social situations, but they may need five to seven years to master the
knowledge they need to truly succeed in the classroom.
Patricia Hamm, an Iowa State University political scientist who came from Mexico to
the United States about 25 years ago, described Marshalltown as a prototype of Iowa
cities affected by large influxes of immigrants.
"This is not one of those towns that is slowly slipping into oblivion. On the contrary, it is
very dynamic," Hamm said.
Hamm discussed several bills in Congress that concern unauthorized immigrants,
including people who enter the United States secretly and those who overstay visas
issued for work or school.
"There is massive immigration to the United States because there is a demand for these
workers," she said. "My analysis tells me that we are not going to be able to do anything
about unauthorized immigration unless we deal with the factors that cause it."