Agriculture and Immigration: How Mass Deportations Will Disrupt the U.S Agricultural System.

All people, all immigrants, deserve respect and dignity regardless of occupation. While it is true that a lot of migrant and immigrant workers fulfill essential occupations in the United States, they deserve fair treatment in the United States because they are people, first and foremost. When speaking about immigrant rights, it is common for their labor to be at the forefront of the narrative, such as the occupations they fulfill and contributions to the economy. This framework, whether intentional or unintentional, centers on their labor rather than their personhood. In this blog post we are going to discuss how our current national food system relies on the work of migrants and immigrants, why that is, and how this system is exploitative and needs to be improved. We will also briefly discuss how current immigration policies are violating the human rights of people being detained by ICE and how that will impact all of us in the near future.

    The agricultural sector is a grueling and difficult industry to work in. The work is physically demanding, long hours, and low compensation. In the past decades, there have been workforce shortages due to difficulty with recruitment, low retention, and aging workforce. The number of migrant workers, people who seasonally or temporarily work in the US, has also been declining. According to Farm Aid, approximately 70% of farm workers are immigrants and 40% of those are undocumented. There are several contributions to why the agricultural workforce is made up like this, including US-born workers being less likely to work in this sector due to harsh conditions, long intensive hours, in remote locations, and little compensation. Many farm workers are living in poverty. There is also a cultural attitude that agricultural work isn’t “socially prestigious” and therefore not a viable career for many US-born workers. Migrants and non-citizen immigrants disproportionately fill in the shortages. This means that they are also disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals, extreme heat, and injury. Migrant and non-citizen immigrant workers are also less likely to have access to healthcare, contributing to negative health consequences. Non-citizen immigrants are 25% more likely not to have health insurance compared to other farm workers (15%). 

    There are programs that encourage non-US-born citizens to be hired on farms. Programs such as the H2-A program are a temporary visa program that allows a farm to hire people from outside the U.S for temporary or seasonal work. The employer is responsible for providing housing and transportation for the employee. There are pros and cons to this program for both employers and employees. Employers may have heavy overhead costs related to application, processing, transportation, and housing. The visas being temporary are also not an ideal fit for some industries. For farmworkers, they are at a high risk of exploitation since their housing and transportation are tied to their employers. Migrants and non-citizen immigrants typically have less access to workplace protection than citizen workers.

    As stated earlier, the dignity and respect that immigrants deserve is not deserved because they are hardworking. It is deserved because they are people. In recent days, more and more people are talking about immigration rights and, therefore, the contribution of labor they do in the agricultural sector. Mass deportations escalate the workforce shortage, increase prices of food, and reduce the availability of some products. The number of imports from other countries may also increase. The decrease of the workforce will impact people across the country.

Right now, migrants and non-citizen immigrants are an essential part of our imperfect food system. Supporting farm workers also means supporting immigrants. Supporting a more sustainable, safe food system also means supporting appropriate compensation and safer working conditions. Improving how we purchase and supply foods also means improving the lives of the workers putting food on our tables.

If you are interested in reading more, visit the resources below:

https://www.farmaid.org/blog/fact-sheet/immigration-and-the-food-system/  

https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/feeding-america-how-immigrants-sustain-us-agriculture

https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/potential-implications-of-immigration-restrictions-on-the-u-s-agricultural-workforce/