Ventura, California (AP)-sized immigration attacks in pack houses and fields in California threatened companies that provide a immense part of the country’s food, say farmers.
Dozens of agricultural workers were recently arrested after uniformed federal agents were exchanged at farmers northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, which is known for the cultivation of strawberries, lemons and avocados.
Others skip the work because the fear has deepened in immigrant communities when President Donald Trump increases his immigration training. He vowed to raise and send federal agents dramatically to adhere to people at Home Depot parking spaces and jobs including car washes and a clothing factory. It also comes when Trump sent National Guard for troops and Marines after protests against his immigration authorities to Los Angeles. Since then, demonstrations have spread to other US cities.
Maureen McGuire, Managing Director of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, said that between 25% and 45% of agricultural workers have stopped working this month since the beginning of the raid.
“If our workforce is afraid, the fields are not understood, packing houses fall back and the market supply chains, from local grocery stores to national retailers, are affected,” she said in an explanation on Thursday. “This affects every American who eats.”
California is a immense center of American agriculture
California farms produce more than a third of the vegetable’s vegetables and more than three quarters of its fruit and nuts. While the government of the state is dominated by Democrats, there are immense Republican areas that run through agricultural land, and many breeders in the entire state have counted on Trump to facilitate with critical agricultural issues that range from water to retail.
Primestiva Hernandez, Managing Director of 805 UNDOKUNG, appreciated in the counties Ventura and Santa Barbara in the counties Ventura and Santa Barbara since Monday. The number comes from both the Mexican consulate and from the group’s own estimates from talks with family members of people who were imprisoned, she said.
Elizabeth Strater, the director of strategic campaigns by the United Farm Workers, said her group received reports of arrests from immigration on farms in the north of California Central Valley. Lucas Sugar, Co-Executive Director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a sustainable economy, said that the members of the agricultural workers reported that the agents were at least nine farms, but were rejected by superiors because they lacked an arrest warrant.
“This is just a mass attack on an immigrant community of the working class and essentially profil creation,” said Zucker. “They don’t go to certain people who are really targeted. They just fish.”
In response to questions about the arrests of agriculture, Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the homeland protection authority, said in a statement that the agency followed the president’s instruction and continues to try to remove immigrants who committed crimes.
Trump recognizes the concerns of the producers
On Thursday, Trump admitted the concerns of the producers that his deceased immigration authority could leave them without workers to rely on to expand the country’s food. He said something would be done to tackle the situation, but he did not state any details.
“Our great farmers and people in the hotel and leisure business have stated that our very aggressive politics to immigrate very good, long-time workers takes away from them.
The California Farm Bureau said that there was no reports of a widespread disorder of his workforce, but there are concerns among the members of the community. Bryan Little, Senior Director of Policy Advocacy of the office, said that the group had long pushed for the immigration reform to deal with long -term labor shortages.
“We realize that some employees may feel unsafe and want to be very clear at the moment: California agriculture depends on the workforce and appreciates its workforce,” said Little in a statement. “When the activities for enforcing the immigration authorities are continued in this direction, it is becoming increasingly difficult to produce, process and bring food and bring it to the shelves of the grocery business.”
Agricultural worker fears of his children
A worker who asked not to be called out of fear said that he picked strawberries on a farm from Ventura County in early Tuesday when more than a dozen cars drove to the farm next door. He said they had arrested at least three people and put them in vans, while women who worked on the farm broke out. He said the superiors on his farm did not allow the agents inside.
“The first thing that occurred to me is, who will stay with my children?” The worker, who originally comes from Mexico and has lived in the United States for two decades, said in Spanish. “It’s something so sad and unfortunate because we are not criminals.”
He said he didn’t go to work on Wednesday, and his bosses told him that he should stay at home for at least one day until things placid down. But that means that fruit is not selected and that it is not paid.
“These are lost days, days when we are missing work. But what else can we do?” he said.
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Taxin from Santa Ana, California, registered
