The names of the 32 families of illegal immigrants affected by Wednesday's raid in Mount Pleasant were read at a rally in Des Moines Thursday night.
Members of the group were charged with letting people know they objected to the way federal immigration officials conducted the raid at the Midwest Precast Concrete plant in Mount Pleasant Wednesday morning.
One organizer said workers were forced to line up against the wall-face the way-and, one by one, produce their documents showing they were legally in the United States. The group says the Mount Pleasant Police Department assisted federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the raid.
In addition, the group says they "scrambled" to find out where the 32 men were taken. They've learned they're in the Linn County and the Hardin County jails awaiting federal immigration action. In the meantime, immigration lawyers are working to secure their release. They also are trying to prepare a lawsuit against ICE for the raid, which one organizer called "racial profiling".
The company could also face charges for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. However, so far, no charges have been filed.