By
UFW of America
The
United Farm Workers Union (UFW) is holding farm worker know your rights
meetings in farm worker regions throughout CA, WA and OR as well as
implementing plans to send folks out to the fields to talk to farm workers
directly. Why? Because farm workers are scared. We’re
hearing stories of people being afraid to leave their houses except to go to and from work.
This is not hypothetical. Even before the most recent orders came out, simply driving to work could be a problem for farm workers in Trump’s America. This is the story Juan Torres (alias) tells us about his drive to work in the Fresno area on February 8th. “At an intersection that many farm workers pass while going to work ICE pulled over our van. One of the farm workers in my van was handcuffed and it looked like they were going to take him and some other farm workers in, but then the agents got an emergency call of some type and they were let go. I had read the Know Your Rights card that the UFW gave myself and other workers but in the heat of the moment we were just paralyzed to even remember anything. This is why I appreciate the upcoming know your rights meetings the UFW is holding that will give us the opportunity to role play how to respond and prepare us.”
And Ventura county strawberry worker and mother of 5, Sandra Garcia (alias) feels people are being targeted just because of the color of their skin. She tells us, “I have heard about the immigration raids in my community. Everyone is afraid they will be next. I am very thankful that the United Farm Workers organizes “Know Your Rights” information sessions. The information is very helpful, but we are very nervous.
“Recently I began to receive mail at my house addressed to a strange name. I write “return to sender” and “does not live here”, but the letters have continued. Soon after I began to hear loud knocks on my front door from police officers asking for the same name on the letters. Since Donald Trump announced his expanded deportation orders, I have been afraid to answer the door when the police have come. They have come often enough that my neighbors have noticed and they are also worried. We are working hard trying to earn a living, feed our families, feed this great nation. It’s not right. We can’t let hate divide us. That’s not our America. I hope you can help us.”
According to researchers at University of California, Davis, approximately 70% of all the farm workers here who put food on America’s table are undocumented. The most recent set of orders the department of Homeland Security released on Tuesday to increase immigration enforcement puts almost all of the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants at risk of being deported. Understandably, workers are frightened and need to know what their rights are.
Can you imagine what mass deportations would do to California alone? California's economy depends on agriculture, a $54 billion industry. Plus, these people are our neighbors. They have lived here for years. They have families. They own homes and cars. They go to church with us. They pay taxes. Their kids are on our kids’ baseball teams. They are hardworking people and a vital part of our economy.
In this time of hate, it is more urgent than ever that we do outreach to farm workers. Can you help us do all the things that are necessary to reach farm workers and protect them?
This is not hypothetical. Even before the most recent orders came out, simply driving to work could be a problem for farm workers in Trump’s America. This is the story Juan Torres (alias) tells us about his drive to work in the Fresno area on February 8th. “At an intersection that many farm workers pass while going to work ICE pulled over our van. One of the farm workers in my van was handcuffed and it looked like they were going to take him and some other farm workers in, but then the agents got an emergency call of some type and they were let go. I had read the Know Your Rights card that the UFW gave myself and other workers but in the heat of the moment we were just paralyzed to even remember anything. This is why I appreciate the upcoming know your rights meetings the UFW is holding that will give us the opportunity to role play how to respond and prepare us.”
And Ventura county strawberry worker and mother of 5, Sandra Garcia (alias) feels people are being targeted just because of the color of their skin. She tells us, “I have heard about the immigration raids in my community. Everyone is afraid they will be next. I am very thankful that the United Farm Workers organizes “Know Your Rights” information sessions. The information is very helpful, but we are very nervous.
“Recently I began to receive mail at my house addressed to a strange name. I write “return to sender” and “does not live here”, but the letters have continued. Soon after I began to hear loud knocks on my front door from police officers asking for the same name on the letters. Since Donald Trump announced his expanded deportation orders, I have been afraid to answer the door when the police have come. They have come often enough that my neighbors have noticed and they are also worried. We are working hard trying to earn a living, feed our families, feed this great nation. It’s not right. We can’t let hate divide us. That’s not our America. I hope you can help us.”
According to researchers at University of California, Davis, approximately 70% of all the farm workers here who put food on America’s table are undocumented. The most recent set of orders the department of Homeland Security released on Tuesday to increase immigration enforcement puts almost all of the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants at risk of being deported. Understandably, workers are frightened and need to know what their rights are.
Can you imagine what mass deportations would do to California alone? California's economy depends on agriculture, a $54 billion industry. Plus, these people are our neighbors. They have lived here for years. They have families. They own homes and cars. They go to church with us. They pay taxes. Their kids are on our kids’ baseball teams. They are hardworking people and a vital part of our economy.
In this time of hate, it is more urgent than ever that we do outreach to farm workers. Can you help us do all the things that are necessary to reach farm workers and protect them?
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