If Trump's plans for mass deportations penetrate California’s heartland, it almost surely would decimate the workforce farmers rely on to plant and harvest their crops. So, why aren't farmers yelling in protest?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/22437167

Summary

California farmers, many of whom supported Trump, face a potential crisis as his immigration policies threaten mass deportations of undocumented workers, who make up at least half of the state’s 162,000 farm labor force.

Deportations could devastate agriculture, leading to labor shortages, unharvested crops, and rising food prices.

Farmers hope for solutions such as workforce legalization or expanded H-2A guest worker programs, though these have been criticized for exploitation risks.

Historical parallels to programs like “Operation Wetback” and the bracero system highlight possible labor and human rights challenges ahead.

  • octopus_inkOPEnglish
    3·
    4 hours ago

    Right there with you.

    I don’t understand how we tolerate these Employers who:

    • Insist on paying people no more than a slave wage rather than what the market requires for the work they want done
    • Vote for politicians who will make those peoples’ lives (even more) miserable and try to get them out of the country
    • Violate our labor laws 24x7 but have the audacity to complain about undocumented immigrants

    And frankly, the first bullet point above should be enough to land these farms in legal consequences.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      4 hours ago

      And in doing so they actively hurt the job market for every documented immigrant and every citizen. They don’t pass their savings onto consumers, they pocket it. They’re leeches. Their affect on literally everyone is net negative. Lock them up!