Trump’s Deportation Threats Send Shivers Through Farmworkers

Trump’s Deportation Threats Send Shivers Through Farmworkers

Fear Grips Migrant Workers in California’s Fields as Deportation Threat Looms

As California’s planting season progresses, fear is spreading among thousands of migrants who work to feed the nation—a country that now seems ready to deport them.

“We have to stay hidden,” said Lourdes Cardenas, a 62-year-old Mexican immigrant living in Fresno. “You’re never sure if you’ll run into immigration authorities. We can’t be free anywhere— not in schools, not in churches, not in supermarkets,” added Cardenas, who has lived in the United States for 22 years.

The anti-immigrant rhetoric of former President Donald Trump has left people like Cardenas feeling “depressed, sad, anxious” and fearful of deportation.

Cardenas is one of over two million people working on farms across the United States. Most of these workers were born outside the U.S., speak Spanish, and have been in the country for over 15 years. Yet, 42 percent of them do not have legal documents to work, according to government data.

In January, surprise raids by immigration officials in Bakersfield, a city about 250 miles from the Mexican border, shook workers in California’s Central Valley, a critical agricultural region. The raids were a stark reminder that the country they have called home for decades elected a leader who wants them gone.

“We were not afraid of the pandemic,” said Cardenas, who continued to work throughout the worst months of COVID-19. “But right now, it’s getting bad for us.”

Although many migrant workers are staying away from churches and altering their shopping habits, they cannot avoid work. It’s their livelihood.

For the United Farm Workers (UFW), the largest farmworkers’ union in the U.S., the threat of mass deportations will not lead to more jobs for Americans. Instead, the union argues, it will push migrant workers to accept even lower wages, as fear of deportation will prevent them from demanding fair pay.

“You have thousands of people who are so afraid of being deported that they’re willing to work for far less,” said Antonio de Loera, a UFW spokesman. “They won’t report wage theft, so this undercuts the value of American workers.”

“This status quo serves the interests of many agricultural employers. For them, it’s the sweet spot,” he added. “They have workers who are afraid to organize, ask for higher wages, or report violations of labor laws or unsafe conditions.”

De Loera offered a simple solution: “Grant workers legal status. Once they are U.S. citizens, we’re all competing on a fair, level playing field, with the same rights and responsibilities.”

Meanwhile, the uncertainty has opened doors for companies that develop automated farming equipment.

“The agricultural community relies heavily on migrant labor, and if they’re no longer available, we need to find solutions,” said Loren Vandergiessen, a product specialist at Oxbo, a manufacturer of farm equipment.

At the World Ag Expo last month in Tulare, Oxbo showcased a berry harvester that could reduce labor requirements by up to 70 percent. “It’s becoming harder to find people willing to do this work,” said Cory Venable, Oxbo’s director of sales and advertising. “Labor costs are rising, so by using this technology, we can lower those costs.”

Gary Thompson, director of operations at Global Unmanned Spray System, highlighted a device that allows one person to operate a fleet of machines capable of doing the work of a dozen tractors. “Labor challenges just keep growing— shortages, costs, regulations,” Thompson said. “The farming industry is looking at autonomy, not as something in the future, but as a current reality.”

However, for those already working in the fields, machines can never replace the human touch needed to harvest delicate fruits like grapes, peaches, and plums.

“A machine will destroy them,” Cardenas said, referring to the fruits. “But we cannot.”

“We farmers are indispensable,” she concluded.