As the American elections inch closer, many constituents are demanding that immigration becomes an important issue for party leaders.

Even a sleepy town in Midwest United States hopes party representatives will take a clear stand on immigration issues.

Storm City, Iowa has a population of 100,000. Predominantly a ‘white’ city, Storm City has recently seen a huge increase in immigrants.

Buena Vista County, in which the city lies, has grown from having less than a 1 per cent immigrant population to over 19 per cent in 20 years. Immigrants, from Mexico to Laos, have settled in this small meatpacking town. 

Although business has been blossoming with new shops opened by immigrants, locals have varying opinions on whether an influx of immigrants is good or bad news.

They also complain that immigrants, increasingly hard to pinpoint as illegal or legal, should come into the U.S. with the right papers, ready to follow the state immigration laws.

Some in Storm City say that immigrants take the meatpacking jobs and clog the local economy, while others credit new immigrants on keeping the town’s economy alive and growing.

Building tension in some meatpacking towns – often over jobs and business ownership - has also led to raids against the immigrant population.

Quoted in the New York Times, Mr. Roberto Gonzalez, who works at a Mexican restaurant, said the raids “look like they’re just about discrimination against Hispanics.”

Either way, it seems that presidential candidates’ stance on illegal immigrants – whether to grant them a chance or crack down and evict – will be a deal breaker to many in Storm City, while also becoming a growing concern across the U.S.