UNI professor says Denison tragedy could’ve been prevented

A UNI professor of sociology says the tragedy of eleven people found dead in a railroad car this week could have been prevented. He says this tragedy speaks to the desperation of many people in Mexico and Central America that drives them to try to come to the US and start new lives for themselves and their families. Sociology professor Mark Grey also directs the “New Iowans program,” an effort to help Iowans work with immigrant populations.He says immigrants come to Iowa for the same reasons the rest of us do — the lifestyle, low cost of living, available jobs, safe communities, good schools — and in many Iowa communities groups are trying to create a safe and welcoming environment for the newcomers. Grey says we send a dual message to immigrants headed into the U-S and Iowa.They welcomed to take jobs other people don’t want, in packing plants, nurseries and restaurants and as cheap childcare providers, but we leave out of the equation the most important fact that they’re human beings. Grey’s heard suggestions that the United States help south-of-the-border countries improve their economies so people will quit trying to leave for the U.S. There are forces, he says, over which we have no control, and it would take “an unbelievable amount” of money and government investment, which isn’t likely. The brochures and books by the New Iowans Project, published in collaboration with Ecumenical Ministries of Iowa, offer advice and information for congregations and communities, and can be downloaded or ordered from the website. www.bcs.uni.edu/idm/newiowans/