contributed photo DACA supporters rally outside the White House.

Following the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election, resident worries grew about incoming Republican President Donald Trump and his plans for the mass deportation of immigrants who have entered the country illegally.

Yesterday, he told NBC News he would implement a large deportation program on his first day in office.

Erica Johnson, the founding executive director of Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice (MMJ) in Des Moines, said communities again face the renewed threat of mass deportations, family separation and policies aimed at excluding families who have called Iowa home for decades.

“Investing in hate-based policies, divisive rhetoric and blatant disregard for the contributions of immigrants in our state does not reflect Iowa values of compassion, neighborliness and justice,” she said. “While we have been working to find solutions to build a stronger, more inclusive society, we see that politicians have let us down again and stoked fear and hate for their own political gain.”

The threat is something Johnson said they have dealt with before. As a result, MMJ has built defense networks and mobilized to protect communities and fight to push back against anti-immigrant policies.

“For years, we’ve been building leaders and connecting with people who share the Iowa values of safety and dignity for all,” she said. “We know the resilience that we need to cultivate to protect each other and stand firm in our commitment to justice.”

If Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) comes to Marshalltown, it will not be the first time. A raid was conducted at Swift & Company, now JBS, in December of 2006. Ninety people were arrested and taken to Camp Dodge in Johnston before being transferred to federal detention centers. The first raid occurred in 1996, and 148 undocumented immigrants were detained.

A special report from the Immigration Policy Center focused on the 2006 ICE raid in Marshalltown and the aftermath. The report states that the immediate concern was identifying and caring for children of detained people, which residents were able to do with the help of the school district.

The report further states many members of the immigrant community were hesitant to leave their homes. As a result, there was a three percent decrease in retail sales, and roughly 12 homes were foreclosed. Two-thirds of the families impacted by the raid left Marshalltown.

Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer said the impact of the previous raids were probably felt keenly by the workforce and the Marshalltown Community School District. Any possible deportation raids in the future might have the same effect.

“I think the local economy will struggle to find workers, and there will be a drop of the population in the schools,” he said.

Greer believes local businesses would also be impacted, similar to the 2006 raid.

“We have some major employers and good relationships with them which we built up already,” he said.

Greer wondered how mass deportations would impact Marshalltown families.

“What will happen to the second, third generation people? [If there is] a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) kid, I can’t imagine what it would be like if his mom or dad were sent back to Mexico,” he said. “What would happen to their house? It is unfathomable to think about.”

Trump indicated that the deportation plan would have a focus on immigrants with criminal records. His plan possibly includes using National Guard and local law enforcement agencies to help. If they are not cooperative, Trump claimed that he would withhold Justice Department grant money.

Greer is not sure if that is something the President is able to do.

“I would like to think it would not be viable for him to withhold federal funds,” he said. “I don’t know if he can do that without Congress’ blessing.”

Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper said his department remains committed to building relationships within the community.

“Law enforcement services belong to the community,” he said. “The Marshalltown PD is here to serve everyone, regardless of demographics.”

The commitment to building and strengthening relationships is something the mayor stressed.

“We have worked on our relationships with people, with non-English speaking countries, and we have enjoyed them,” Greer said. “I hope there are no wide scale deportations. Whatever happens in the future, we have proved Marshalltown is able to embrace workers and students who have moved here.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.