JonSCKs - 6/15/2025 15:29

It’s been a busy week.

First fallout is still occurring from ICE showing up to detain workers at a packing plant in Omaha Nebraska.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/omaha-immigration-workplace-raid-aftermath-rcna212931

News of the ICE raid this week sent a crippling, chilling effect across the city. The local library and community college closed early on Tuesday. Construction sites and other workplaces have been desolate. South Omaha’s business district, known as a vibrant Hispanic and immigrant enclave, shut down immediately after the raid. As of Friday, some had reopened. 

About a third of the remaining staff at Glenn Valley Foods showed up to work on Wednesday, with many staying home because they still felt afraid or traumatized, resulting in a roughly 20% drop in production that day, according to Hartmann. 

As more of the remaining employees showed up Thursday morning — most still reeling from the stress caused by the raid — workers and employees held a meeting. Hartmann described the meeting as a combination of “tough love” and even passionate disagreements, as people tried to make sense of what happened and find a way to move forward. About 80 employees were at the plant processing meat early Friday afternoon. 

At the South Omaha business district, a popular Mexican bakery reopened Friday and welcomed dozens of customers taking home pastries for Father’s Day weekend. Three hair stylists sat outside their empty salon. They said this weekend tends to be busy for the business, but many of their immigrant customers were not coming in because they were still afraid to be out in public following the raid. 

 The Bishop of our church issued a statement which we discussed about this morning.

https://www.greatplainsumc.org/newsdetail/bishop-wilson-calls-for-prayer-compassion-after-omaha-immigration-raid-19119630?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwK7_rtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHt7kLhrduyCQZY_X7mK5N8TQIgkPASOhOoF0qIw91Z1xcWNOZpRWMsmqysjc_aem_W1mq3h31tOmmf3yqbhQU6Q

I grieve for children whose parents are suddenly absent. I also grieve for spouses and other family members now left to wonder what has become of their loved ones and how they will pay the bills because of the lost income. And I am concerned about the south Omaha neighborhood because of the ripple effects of lost wages for families — fewer people shopping in area stores, fewer people dining in restaurants, rent not able to be paid, and the possible decline in property values.

I think about the stories I heard during a January visit to Iglesia Comunitaria, a United Methodist congregation in the area. I heard about these kinds of fears — of children coming home to find their parents taken, of the significant stress that comes with a lack of information, and of a long, complicated immigration process.

I give thanks for our United Methodist churches and pastors in south Omaha and the support they provide. I praise God for our partnership with the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (CIRA), which provides legal assistance to immigrants.

I ask our lawmakers and bureaucrats making these decisions to follow Jesus’ lesson about the importance of caring for the stranger in Matthew 25. And I urge prayer for wisdom, compassion and kindness during these difficult times and regarding this complex subject.