Fremont, Nebraska, needs migrant workers, but bars illegal aliens
FREMONT, Neb. — Big-city mayors may be complaining about the economic impact of an influx of migrants, but the residents of a small city near Omaha can’t decide how they feel.
FREMONT, Neb. — Big-city mayors may be complaining about the economic impact of an influx of migrants, but the residents of a small city near Omaha can’t decide how they feel.
Fremont, Nebraska, population 27,000, has three massive meat-processing plants. As young locals leave in search of better jobs, Central American migrants have been taking their places in the slaughterhouses, especially after Costco opened a huge rotisserie chicken facility in 2019.
“We need these people,” said Mark Jensen, president of the city council. “We need this work done. This is what feeds the nation and the world.”
The meatpacking town of Fremont, Nebraska, has seen an influx of Hispanic migrants in recent years. Hispanic businesses have opened to serve them.NBC NewsBut instead of a welcome mat, for more than a decade Fremont has had a controversial law on the books that tries to bar undocumented migrants from living within city limits. In 2010, residents voted 57% to 43% to require that all people renting property in Fremont must first sign a declaration that they are legally present in the U.S.
“The city’s citizens asked the city council to do something because it was pretty obvious that we had just become a haven for illegals,” said city council member Paul Von Behren.
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