To Whom It May Concern: The Editorial Discourse on the Immigrant Population of Postville, Iowa

• In Event: 174 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Race and Ethnicity in Popular Culture and Media

Abstract

On May 12, 2008, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a raid on the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa. This paper analyzes issues surrounding Latino immigrants before the raid and after the raid in order to answer the following question: Do letters to the editor in the Postville newspaper reflect a shift in the meanings surrounding the Latino immigrant population following the ICE raid of Agriprocessors in May, 2008? The analysis is focused on the editorial discourse within the Postville newspaper, the Herald-Leader, one year before and one year after the raid to determine the changes in such discourse. Three different narratives were identified: legalist, pluralist, and pragmatist. Community members and the newspaper editors used the segments dedicated to editorials and letters to the editor within the local newspaper to express their thoughts about immigrants. Letters adopting the pragmatist perspectives increased following the raid, but the reactions with the legalist perspective only appeared after the raid. Our findings, through the analysis of the newspaper, showed a continuing negotiation of the meanings surrounding the Latino population with an increase in expressed legalist attitudes by the native Postville residents toward the Latino population. We also call for a national discourse concerning the traditional use of pejorative terminology in regard to irregular citizens.

Authors

• Angela Glosser, Indiana University-Kokomo

• Cornelia B. Flora, Iowa State University/Kansas State University

• Daniel Allen Wittrock, Iowa State University