OTTUMWA — Removing illegal immigrants from a work site sounds like a good, simple move to some people.

For those actually involved in such a raid, it’s anything but good or simple and changes need to happen.

State agencies and officials are still sorting out the impact of the immigration raid Dec. 12, 2006, at the Swift meatpacking plant in Marshalltown, according to Sandra Sanchez.

She presented “The Impact of Immigration Raids” Friday during the Fourth annual Diversity Conference at Indian Hills Community College.

“What happened was so irregular from a legal, moral and human perspective that a national commission is doing hearings,” she said.

The raid affected not only illegal workers but also their employer, the school district, the business climate and housing opportunities.

“Employment in general was depressed,” she said.

In many families, both parents worked at the Swift plant.

“What happened to their kids who were in school or in daycare? The parents weren’t allowed to make calls and the schools didn’t know what to do with the kids,” she said.

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack guided changes so the Department of Human Services can now intervene on behalf of children. The local community helped, too, through churches and other volunteers.

“Even if it’s a raid, people have the right to a phone call and the right to legal representation,” Sanchez said. “They took the workers to Camp Dodge, which is a military facility. Lawyers and [priests] can’t get in, not even for a few hours.”

Sanchez said there was a “major change” in immigration agencies in 2003. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) used to handle immigration but was split into Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Immigrants are afraid of ICE. They won’t go to the police,” she said. “ICE can be seen as bad but people need to stay in communication with police.”

If the immigration process isn’t finished, they do have the right to send you out, she added.

CIS adjudication officers used to have a lot of discretion. For example, someone’s green card application could include “something that’s a red flag.”