User Reviews

This film's first hour is a deeply moving account of the impact of a May 2008 federal raid using more than 1,000 Homeland Security agents in full SWAT gear, and helicopters, that broke up families and caused substantial pain. The film is shot from the perspective of the undocumented workers and the town's agencies that tried to help them, and I highly recommend it.

I visited Postville in 2012, and talked with town people there about the issues raised by the film. For background to this situation, with a close look at both the town as a whole and the plant's owners, I also highly recommend the book "Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America".

The last 30 minutes of the film are overly long, as they are of more interest to legal scholars than the average citizen. Still, it is important to note what unconstitutional tactics were employed by the government, as talk of massive raids is stirring again.

For those concerned about the plight of undocumented workers, the film is very much worth getting.

Just read this, and you'll understand all:

The Lie At The Heart Of The Postville Documentary Wednesday, November 10, 2010 By Debbie Maimon A documentary on the 2008 Postville ICE raid that highlights government abuse of human rights is hijacked by a political agenda that makes use of a cropped picture of Sholom Mordchai Rubashkin to manipulate the audience.

What begins as a moving historical narrative about the plight of migrant workers in Postville, Iowa, and their harrowing, unjust treatment at the hands of federal agents, degenerates midway into a crude sideshow of Rubashkin-bashing. The film thus falls prey to the same evils it protests.

The documentary, "Abused," which was filmed in Postville and weaves together the personal stories of victims of the raid, is being screened in various locations in the United States, most recently in Manhattan. There is talk of bringing it to Washington, in hopes of attracting the attention of activists and legislators concerned with immigration reform.

Read it at 'http://www.yated.com

This tedious and overlong depiction of the Workplace Enforcement action by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Agriprocessors, and its aftermath, relies on few and biased sources and shamelessly plays the race--or **raza**--card.

While there are numerous interviews, all in Spanish with English subtitles, with now deported Guatemalan and Mexican employees at the meat packing plant, ordinary citizens of Postville, Iowa are not asked how they feel about having a Hispanic colony planted in the midst of their town.

The owner of Agriprocessors Sholem Rubashkin, now serving a 27 year sentence, is depicted quite accurately as a criminal for knowingly harboring and employing illegal aliens. Yet the illegal aliens themselves are depicted as victims!