A Modern Tale of Meatpacking and Immigrants

For many years, Grand Island in Nebraska has hosted many immigrants passing through in search of work. But migration has come in distinctive waves: refugees from the Vietnam War in the 1970s, refugees from Eastern Europe in the 1990s, Mexican and Latino immigrants in the last couple of decades, and now a new wave of African refugees, including Somalis and Sudanese. Many of the new immigrants are Muslim and have asked their jobs for time off to pray during the day, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. This has caused tensions, walk-outs, and protests by the other workers in many factories. The Somalis’ co-workers accuse management of preferential treatment. Some other managers deny them permission to pray which tends to result in Somalis leaving to find another job. Interestingly, though, much of the tension comes from other immigrants, particularly the Latino population, who have suffered their share of strife. A new wave of Cuban refugees has recently been added to the mix in a town where crime and gang violence appears to be on the rise. In the end, one would expect migration – forced or otherwise – to require some form of integration or cultural compromise among both the migrants and the indigenous; and this is also bound to lead to friction. That the friction is between different sets of immigrants in this case blurs the line of what constitutes equitable compromise. – YaleGlobal