Immigrant hands feed America, and that's exactly why farmers also fear Trump's deportation force

The simple fact is that without immigrant labor, America’s farms will slam to a stop. According to 2009 data from the U.S. Department of Labor, “71 percent of all farm workers in the country are foreign-born, and 48 percent are undocumented,” with others putting that latter number even higher. Immigrant hands feed America. But Donald Trump’s national mass deportation dragnet has left them terrified and many in hiding, with farmers who have long benefitted from their labor, like Wally Czajkowsk, feeling the pain:

Czajkowski, like other farmers, are worried they won't have enough employees to do all the work for the upcoming season. Having immigrant laborers is "absolutely crucial," he has said, adding he couldn't possibly hire enough workers to replace them.

Trump's immigration talk and recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are scaring people, even those with papers, he said.

In fact, while 75 to 100 turned out to his Plainville Farm for a meeting, others were afraid to come, he said.

"They were afraid of being targeted. I think it's thinks terrible when you're afraid to speak your mind. They didn't want to draw attention to themselves, they're so afraid Immigration and Customs Enforcement could target them even though they have only documented workers," he said of other farms in the area.

"There's a real labor shortage," he said. Unemployment in Massachusetts has dipped and he said many restaurants and businesses are also hiring.

He said if ICE doesn't raid area farms, "that will be a huge help."

One study estimated that if immigrant labor were completely cut from the daily industry, “it could cut U.S. economic output by $32 billion.” In California, “the USDA estimates losses as a result of a farm worker shortage has cost farmers millions of dollars per year as fruit and other crops are left to rot in the field.” Trump knows how much American businesses rely on immigrant workers—who else does he think keeps his empire running?

from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2oEqD1r