Trump’s immigration crackdown has made many immigrant farm workers scared to go to work

Lisa Tate is a sixth-generation farmer in Ventura county, California, an area that produces billions of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables each year, much of it hand-picked by immigrants in the US illegally.

Tate knows the farms around her well. And she says she can see with her own eyes how raids carried out by agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in the area’s fields earlier this month, part of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, have frightened off workers.

“In the fields, I would say 70% of the workers are gone,” she said in an interview. “If 70% of your workforce doesn’t show up, 70% of your crop doesn’t get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don’t want to do this work. Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust.“

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    61
    ·
    3 days ago

    Lisa Tate, farmer in Ventura county who donated $250 to republiQan Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares?

    Sen. Valladares who founded a Republican Latino caucus in the CA legislature, saying

    the Democratic-led Latino Caucus would support “antiquated solutions” to issues such as farmworkers’ rights that “keep Latinos under the monolithic umbrella of being poor, agricultural workers.” ?

    Huh.

    That sounds straight-up stupid.

    “That’s not the modern-day Latino,” she said.

    …The 35-member Latino Caucus, historically led by Democrats after the first Latino lawmakers were elected in 1962, has focused on a wide range of policy priorities, including giving protections and equal access to immigrants regardless of legal status, promoting STEM programs in schools and expanding paid sick leave and housing to farmworkers.

    “Even in the Latino Caucus, you have moderates, progressives and everything in between,” Miguel Santiago, a Democratic former Assembly member and Latino caucus member. “But one thing that has always united us through every argument is our unwavering support for Latino communities, particularly those who are undocumented.”

    Santiago said that he is “skeptical about the sincerity” of the Hispanic Legislative Caucus representing Latino interests, particularly when it comes to protecting the undocumented and that those differences “are irreconcilable.”

    Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), former Assembly speaker who left behind a legacy of progressive reforms, including giving farmworkers overtime pay and expanding childhood education, agrees that there should be a Latino caucus for each party.

    “I never understood why they wanted to be part of our caucus other than obstructing us,” he said. “They would just yell, we’d take a vote, and they’d lose.”

    • MrMeowMeow@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      21
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      3 days ago

      While I was initially frothing at the mouth at your comment, and I still think that her donation obviously wasn’t in her best interests, the vast vast majority of her donations on that page are to either libs or labor groups (͡•_ ͡• )

      • Optional@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        Presuming the other person is also her. Which, if so, is odd that the one R donation came in from a different address and type of donation.

    • MuskyMelon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      3 days ago

      Latinos for Republicans are just brown people begging to be considered white but will always be bean-eating wet backs to Republicans.