"The women are effectively prisoners," said Father Paul Ouderkirk at St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church. "The difference between them and anybody who is in jail is that in jail the government pays for them, but if they're on the streets we pay for them. What kind of a government makes prisoners of 43 mothers who all have children and then says, ‘You can't work, you can't leave and can't stay?' That boggles the imagination."

A local church and concerned supporters are supplying the women and children with the means for survival.

Since the raid, St. Bridget's, with a staff of four, has raised $500,000 to pay for rent, clothing, food and other necessities of life. Donations have come from other faith groups and individuals who have read about the raid.

Agriprocessors, the company that employed the arrested workers, has been accused of egregious violations of safety violations, including prohibitions against employment of child labor. In that light, there's no reason to believe that Agriprocessors acted as a responsible corporate citizen when it "said it was waiving rent for women living in company-owned apartments and making regular food contributions." After exploiting entire families, Agriprocessors doesn't need the bad publicity of mass evictions ... at least not now, with the media watching. Besides, Agriprocessors might view the left-behinds as potential additions to its labor force.