In the wake of recent immigration raids in Iowa and Mississippi, small towns across the country are worried they could be next. The Kansas City Star reports on one such community.

Milan, Mo. is home to a Farmland Foods pork packing plant that—like meatpacking businesses across the country—employs hundreds of Latino immigrants. Though Farmland says it screens new hires carefully, undoubtedly there are some illegal workers employed there. Should the plant be raided, Milan and Sullivan County—which is 50 percent Latino—would be in a bind.

After a difficult transition, schools are now geared to embrace Spanish-speaking kids, and rely on their numbers for state financing. Housing vacancies have given way to men crowding eight to a one-bedroom apartment while demand from Hispanic families has prevented home prices from falling. Taxes from the plant and its workers keep local government afloat.

Fear about the consequences of future raids has led pro-immigration organizations like the Mississippi Immigrants’ Rights Alliance to begin building an early-warning system. Hotel workers in towns with large immigrant populations are prepared to call in tips about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents renting rooms, and others are keeping watch for out-of-state license plates or activity at local courthouses. Activists say these measures will take away ICE’s element of surprise, allowing communities to prepare—and likely allowing illegal immigrants to hide.

The May raid in Postville, Iowa. (AP Photo)