Yuma County, Arizona (Az Family) – 40% of US farm workers are undocumented, making farms and their labor vulnerable to immigration enforcement.
Viral video from Southern California shows Ice agents chasing farm workers through the agriculture sector. On the same day, federal agents stormed a Nebraska meat packing plant and detained 70 undocumented workers.
Supporters and workers are now warning that these tactics can empty fields and render harvest harmless. Ventura Keignons, a longtime farm worker in Imperial County, said he worked in the fields he was once raided.
“I think it’s wrong. Why are they chasing people when they’re helping me here?” he said.
A few days after the meatpacking attack in Omaha, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he would take steps to protect farmers. The Arizona Farm Bureau shared statement We welcome Trump’s comments on supporting farmers along with Arizona families from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
According to New York Times, Senior Ice Official It reportedly called for a suspension on the agricultural sector investigation. On Monday, the president calls for double immigration enforcement and widening ice attacks in democratically operated cities. Immigration advocates say they continue to terrorize the migrant labor community.
Lideres Campesinas program coordinator Elvira Herrera reports that the fear is widespread and workers are being racially referred. The California-based nonprofit organization supports female farm workers and their families and actively collaborates with state leaders to advocate for protection of farm workers.
Herrera said she was afraid that workers would go to the store or take their children to school. She said that even those with legal documents are scary.
“We had a woman call about her husband being detained despite having a work visa,” Herrera said.
She also said fear of deportation has silenced women who are facing abuse and workplace abuse.
“Many of the women we support are victims of domestic violence. If they speak up, they might be deported,” she said.
Herrera said they continue to defend state leaders and ensure farm workers are informed of their rights.
“As soon as you step into this soil, you are entitled to your rights, whether there is a document or not,” Herrera said.
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