MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA (By Bennett Roth, Houston
Chronicle) November 22, 2007 Colorful piρatas hang from the ceiling, and
Spanish-labeled goods fill the shelves of Angel Regalado's grocery in this
rural town with a bulging immigrant community.
Many of his customers lived in Mexico a decade
ago. But the influx of Hispanics to Marshalltown, with its large meatpacking
plant, and elsewhere across Iowa has changed the political dynamics in what
was one of the most homogeneous states in America.
Now more than 115,000 Hispanics live in
Iowa, comprising almost 4 percent of the state's population of 3 million.
Though their community is tiny by Texas standards, their numbers increased
37 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to the Iowa Division of Hispanic
Affairs.
The rapid growth of Iowa's Hispanic
population, particularly the estimated 55,000 to 85,000 here undocumented, has
fueled a fierce debate in the state that will hold the first-in-the-nation
presidential caucuses on Jan. 3.
Democratic converts
Amid the polarizing politics of immigration,
the issue is cutting both ways.
Regalado said for the first time since
he came here 15 years ago, he will vote in the Democratic caucuses, possibly
for Hillary Rodham Clinton. His reason: anti-immigrant rhetoric from the
Republicans.
"They don't care about good people," he
said of the immigration critics. "Most people come here to work."
A few blocks away, dress-shop owner Sylvia
Padilla, a Mexican-American whose first language is Spanish, expressed
similar sentiments. "Republicans no good for me," she said.
In the GOP race, presidential contenders
have been taking increasingly tough stands against undocumented immigrants,
favoring, among other things, deportations of convicted felons and hefty
fines for employers.
Last week, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney, who holds a narrow lead in the Iowa polls, attacked his two main
rivals former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee for supporting sanctuary status for undocumented immigrants and
tuition breaks for their children.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Republican running on
an anti-immigration message, recently began broadcasting a commercial
suggesting that open-border policies have allowed terrorists to enter the
country.
His spot closes with a man in a hooded
sweat shirt in a crowded mall. As the screen goes dark, an explosion is
heard.
Tough talk by GOP
"People here are concerned about stopping the
flow of undocumented immigrants," said Barb Livingston, chairman of the
Republican Party of Marshall County, which includes Marshalltown.
The influx of immigrants has had an impact
on schools, health care and taxes, she said.
At the same time, Livingston conceded the
issue was complicated and that voter anger was not necessarily directed at
the Hispanic immigrants living in their communities.
"They have compassion for people that are
here and don't wish them ill," she said.
Democrats are trying to woo Hispanic voters.
Between 15,000 and 18,000 Hispanics are registered to vote in Iowa and are
eligible to attend the state's primary caucuses. They could make up a
pivotal bloc in the Democratic caucuses, which drew 124,000 voters in 2004.
The major contenders are trying to reach
out to them. Clinton has established a Hispanic Leadership Council,
comprising 27 community leaders. Barack Obama has assigned a full-time
staffer to engage Hispanic voters. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico
and the only Hispanic presidential candidate, has distributed campaign
materials in Spanish.
All the Democratic contenders have embraced
the broad notion of overhauling the nation's immigration laws. But they're
steering away from discussions of details, because they could alienate
Hispanic voters. And the issue's fine points could trip up a candidate. It
did Clinton and Obama at recent debates when they appeared to equivocate
about giving driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.
The partisan divide over immigration was
underscored in a recent University of Iowa poll of likely caucus-goers. The
survey found two-thirds of Republicans rated immigration as either the
most important or a highly important issue. Only about one-third of
Democrats ranked the issue so high.
The poll, however, found Republicans far
from united about how to deal with the issue. Though 30 percent of GOP
voters supported the deportation of undocumented immigrants, 51 percent preferred
allowing them to become citizens if they met certain conditions, such as
paying back taxes and learning English. About two-thirds of Democrats backed
that option, known as "earned citizenship."
War, health also issues
David Redlawsk, a University of Iowa professor
who conducted the survey, said there is less incentive for Democrats to talk
about immigration because their core supporters are more interested in other
issues such as the Iraq war and health care.
Yvonne Dauterive, of Des Moines, who
attended the Jefferson-Jackson Democratic dinner there, said there were
bigger issues such as the economy. As for undocumented immigrants, she said they
should be given a chance to succeed so they'll become taxpaying citizens.
But Joe Thill, a Democrat from
Marshalltown, opposes what he sees as an influx of undocumented immigrants. The
32-year-old electrician blames them for keeping local plant wages down.
"We need to close the borders," Thill said.
'The people are scared'
Such talk is having an effect, according to
Ramon Lopez, a grocer in Marshalltown.
His business is off this year, he said,
because some families have returned to Mexico rather than face the
anti-immigrant rhetoric and endure the possibility of raids by federal
agents.
"The people are scared," he said.
Armando Villareal, administrator of the
state's Division of Hispanic Affairs, said Iowa's Hispanics, about 40 percent
of whom are first generation, are "getting their political footing" and are
taking the attacks on immigration personally.
He said federal roundups of undocumented
immigrants at plants around the state including one last year at the
meatpacking plant in Marshalltown have created tensions.
But white Iowa is gradually becoming
accustomed to a different ethnic mix, said Villareal, who once worked as a
political director for the United Farm Workers Union in San Antonio.
"In Texas, Hispanics are deeply ingrained
in the culture," he said. "Here they are newcomers."
