Local businesses in Nebraska continue to experience ongoing effects more than a year after immigration enforcement actions targeted the Glenn Valley Foods meatpacking plant in June of last year, according to community officials.

The raid at the meatpacking facility has had lasting impacts on the local business community as families and workers continue to deal with the consequences of the enforcement action. Community members report that area businesses have suffered economically in the aftermath.

Separately, changes to federal lending policies have affected immigrant entrepreneurs' access to capital. For decades, legal permanent residents in the United States were eligible to receive loans through the Small Business Administration, which serves as a fundamental component of small-business financing across the country.

However, recent policy changes have eliminated this long-standing eligibility for permanent residents seeking SBA loans. The modification represents a significant shift in federal lending practices that had been in place for decades.

The combined impact of immigration enforcement actions and changes to federal lending programs has created challenges for immigrant business owners and communities with significant immigrant populations. Local officials continue to monitor the economic effects of these policy changes on their communities.