A noteworthy lesson

The contrast in approaches to U.S. immigration was as distinctly different as black and white Monday in Aurora.
Sen. Pete Ricketts chose a downtown location for his one-hour “Meet with Pete” event, perhaps not fully aware of the mission and scope of services offered by a relatively new local company known as International Workforce Services. The senator knows the story now, as do many others.
Ricketts pulled no punches in describing what he called a wave of illegal immigration at the southern border with Mexico, placing full blame on the Biden Administration for an open borders policy which he says is growing worse by the day. Indeed the images of people flooding across the border by land and water shown on the nightly news are alarming, as are the incidents of human and drug trafficking reported as part of the uncontrolled chaos in that part of the world.
That’s what illegal immigration looks like, and it isn’t a stretch to say it threatens our national security in many ways.
By contrast, what is happening at International Workforce Services is a textbook example of legal immigration, offering people from around the globe a piece of the American dream while simultaneously addressing a growing workforce shortage.
As documented in numerous ANR articles over the past two years, IWS was the brainchild of David Vettel, a former Aurora resident who moved back to Nebraska in 2021. He and his wife Crystal and three sons, Todd, Tim and Trevor, launched IWS with a goal of helping truck drivers from around the world earn their U.S. Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). 
More than 200 people have completed the process to date, with IWS offering far more than relocation services. The Vettels and IWS staff have created a culture of caring and coaching, helping people who want to work in America complete the necessary paperwork and procedures to fill good-paying jobs. The vision continues to evolve as well, with examples reported in the past year of offering the same training services to American drivers, including school bus drivers needed right here in Hamilton County.
Realizing that this business model is helping fill vacant U.S. jobs, the Vettels are exploring the possibility of expanding the mission further still by branching out into other trades. That’s visionary leadership, and a feather in the cap for the host community as well.
It’s not exactly Ellis Island, but the small building on the south side of the square is becoming a life-changing venue offering a passageway to the American dream.
-- Kurt Johnson