Immigrants ride for freedom

A national “Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride” made stops Sunday in Des Moines and Davenport. A service on the steps of the capitol memorialized the 11 immigrants found dead recently in a rail car in Denison. Father Kevin Cameron says the 11 were victims, and the ride is about trying to make life better for immigrants. (Cameron is the priest at St. Peters and Visitation Catholic Churches in Des Moines.) Peru native Max Cardenas is the Iowa Project director for the Center for New Community, a statewide initiative to promote the idea of welcoming immigrants. He calls the deaths in Denison an “Iowa tragedy.” Cardenas says the reason it happened is because there is no legal channel for lower-skilled workers to come to Iowa and work, which he says is all they want to do. Cardenas says yesterday’s event hopefully sent a message.Labor union activists were among immigrants and members of faith groups at the rally. Erwin Lopez of Oskaloosa, a member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, was there to support “the struggles of immigrants.”