Trump’s Immigration Plans Are Already Wrecking the Food Industry
newrepublic.com
Immigrant farm workers are too scared to show up to work.

Summary

Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies, including heightened ICE raids, are disrupting the U.S. agricultural sector.

In California’s Central Valley, a key food-producing region, undocumented farm workers—over half the workforce—are staying home out of fear, leaving crops like citrus unharvested.

Bakersfield saw up to 75% of workers absent, sparking concerns of economic devastation and rising food prices.

ICE is also targeting sensitive areas like schools and churches after rolling back Obama-era protections.

Experts warn these policies could lead to widespread economic repercussions.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
      30·
      15 hours ago

      They’ve tried. They can’t abuse American workers the way they do immigrant workers.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
          242·
          14 hours ago

          We should institute an agriculture work visa that includes a Spanish language lesson on their rights and go after the corporations that make them work in the fields while pesticide is being sprayed.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
          53·
          8 hours ago

          Yeah, you’re right. We should just abuse the ones already here by putting them in concentration camps- oh wait, that’s the plan!

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
              11·
              35 minutes ago

              Where do you think they will put them before they can be deported? You do realize they can’t just stick them on a plane, right? Deportations have to be negotiated, and the country might not want to take them back. So they need to concentrate them in a camp or camps until such time as they can deport them. If they can ever be deported.

              I’m pretty sure there’s a term for a camp where people are concentrated. What do you think that term might be?

    • Nollij@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      201·
      14 hours ago

      You should look up what Stephen Colbert did in 2010.

      There was an organization that would take any American that wanted to be a farm worker, and connect them with local farms. Even paid decently, better than a lot of wage slave jobs. Not genuinely good, but like $15/hour back then.

      As Colbert testified about it to Congress, “Please don’t make me do this again. It is really, really hard.” Americans really don’t want to do it.

      This isn’t even the first time produce has rotten in the fields due to a Trump immigration threat. I distinctly remember reading about tomatoes rotting on the vine in the deep south, probably around 2017.

      • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
        31·
        3 hours ago

        Georgia, when they implemented the LiveScan law around 2011. I was there.

        Edit: Shaka, when the walls fell.

      • Delta_V@lemmy.world
        3·
        5 hours ago

        All that means is that $15 an hour over the course of a growing season is not enough to support a family and put down roots.

        The very concept of “migrant” labor is flawed - its dehumanizing and precarious. People need a means of supporting themselves year around.

        Not only do agricultural corporations need to accept slimmer profit margins and higher wage expenses, but an entirely new support structure is required to maintain the workforce in agricultural communities during the off seasons.

        • vaultdweller013
          2·
          4 hours ago

          Seasonal work needs to be paid as year round work, people have migrated to get work for millenia. If folks were paid properly then this wouldnt be a problem. Hell my 2x great grandfather took great advantage of this by building up a team of seasonal workers who would always come back, also one of them was paid in guns which he then smuggled into Ireland for the revolution.

            • Rhoeri@lemmy.worldEnglish
              21·
              31 minutes ago

              In another comment, I noticed you mention the “hunter’s laptop” fiasco in a way that indicated you’ve fully bought into it.

              I’m not too sure you really should be throwing around the “propagandist” accusation at people when you clearly watch Fox News- I mean. Fox… Entertainment.

    • phdepressed
      172·
      15 hours ago

      You can pay what you want the average American is not willing to do farm work because they got educated and want to use that education. Picking berries or whatever in the hot sun for 12h isn’t it. Until you start paying so much you raise prices 10x or more and that doesn’t work when you’re in a globalized economy, no one is going to pay $80 for strawberries when they can get them for $8.

      More so these workers need to be regulated and that requires some form of legality and documentation.

      • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.mlEnglish
        4·
        12 hours ago

        Even California, liberal strong hold, loves slave labor and voted to keep it recently. We are just terrible and we have low standards.