Instead of raids on individual plants, the agency wants to sift the employment records of companies across entire industries to detect undocumented workers and prod them to leave. If it survives political and legal challenges, the effort soon will expand to Iowa, Kansas and Texas before going nationwide. Born of pressure Immigration officials say it was political pressure that first gave rise to the idea. The Upper Midwest has undergone dramatic changes this decade as immigrants move beyond the coasts, the Southwest and Chicago. Some small towns have seen an increase in arrests for serious crime, including assaults and drug trafficking, and police blame the influx of new residents - mostly young, single Hispanic men.
Most researchers say there's no data to support that connection.
Police particularly complain about undocumented workers, immigration officials say. The quiet farming community was founded by Germans and Eastern Europeans, a heritage it maintained until recent years, said Sheriff Lynn Drum of surrounding Colfax County. I've been telling my wife I need to learn Spanish. There's a lot of new people here now - it bothers me that I don't know everyone. Schuyler recently bought its first drug-sniffing dog, said Police Chief Douglas Peters, 42.