(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s closely following reports that say as many as 220 workers at the J-B-S meatpacking plant in Ottumwa are being told to leave the country as their work visas are being revoked. Grassley calls the actions “very significant” for the southeast Iowa city and knows it will create waves of uncertainty there and elsewhere. “From reports, it sounds like these workers were staying in the United States through a program called Temporary Protective Status,” Grassley says. “It’s obvious by its name this program was meant to be temporary, and the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for designating and terminating temporary protective status.” Reports say the workers are from nations including Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Grassley, a Republican, says he understands the impact this type of decision has on rural communities and on Iowa livestock producers. “President Trump wants farmers to succeed and Congress is working with the administration to provide farmers with as much certainty as possible,” Grassley says, “but obviously, you have less certainty when these deportations take place, as legal as it might be.” KCRG-TV reports Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson says J-B-S is giving each worker one-thousand dollars to help them self-deport. Instead of pulling hundreds of workers from Iowa factories, Grassley says he’d rather see ICE and Homeland Security focus the spotlight elsewhere.

Senator Grassley (file)

“I hope that we’re giving primary consideration to the deportation of people that are on the terrorist watch list or people that are human traffickers or people that are criminals, and I doubt we’ve got them all rounded up yet at this point,” Grassley says, “so I would encourage emphasis upon that.” During a conference call this (Tuesday) morning with Iowa reporters, Grassley focused the blame on the Biden administration, under which he says, “the border was just opened up for anybody to come here.”