In a powerful new op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Dickinson College professor Crispin Sartwell describes how Trump’s indiscriminate deportations are sowing fear, wreaking havoc on the local agricultural economy and sense of community in York Springs, a rural Pennsylvania town. It’s a must read. “Fiestas and Apple Orchards: Small-Town Life Before Trump” is excerpted below and … Continue reading »
Today's Updates
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Agriculture and Farm Workers
Trump Mass Deportation Policy Destabilizing Workers, Farms, and Farming Communities Across the Nation
The Trump Administration’s hastily written, ill-advised executive orders on immigration have had many unintended consequences, including on the tourism industry and across farming communities and the agricultural sector. Over half of all United States farm workers are undocumented, according to the U.S. Department of Labor; over 8 million undocumented immigrants contribute to America’s workforce, according … Continue reading »
New Research: Quotes from Farmers on Why Immigrants and Farm Workers Are So Important to US Businesses, Economy
Quotes from farmers about immigrants here Last week, Democratic Senators Feinstein (CA), Leahy (VT), Bennet (CO), Hirono (HI), and Harris (CA) introduced the Agricultural Worker Program Act, a new piece of legislation designed to protect farm workers from deportation and put them on a path to citizenship. It’s an important proposal for immigrant laborers who do … Continue reading »
Immigrants Contribute to the Economy – 1,500 Economists Say So
Today, nearly 1,500 economists sent a letter to Donald Trump and top Congressional leaders highlighting how immigrants contribute to the economy and urging Congress to pass immigration reform. Economists: immigrants contribute to the economy As the letter said: Immigration is one of America’s significant competitive advantages in the global economy. With the proper and necessary safeguards … Continue reading »
Across the Country, Farmers and Farmworkers Agree Trump's Deportation Agenda Bad For Agriculture
Donald Trump’s mass deportation crackdown is here, rounding up immigrants indiscriminately, arresting those who are clearly not “bad hombres”, and detaining those who have no business being detained. Among other things, his crackdown is bad for agriculture. And, because so much of the agriculture industry relies on the work of undocumented immigrants, everyone who eats should … Continue reading »
ICYMI: “Immigrant Crackdown Worries Food and Construction Industries”
Washington, DC – A new Wall Street Journal piece entitled, “Immigrant Crackdown Worries Food and Construction Industries” reports that the Trump Administration’s decision to crack down on immigration could put American farmers, food companies, and builders at an employee deficit. This piece corroborates the claims made in a New York Times article earlier this month … Continue reading »
As Trump’s Deportation Force Cranks Up, Pro-Trump Farmers Suddenly Very Worried About Their Workers
Donald Trump warned us from the start that he wanted to target all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US for deportation, but apparently some pro-Trump California farmers profiled in this New York Times piece thought he was all bark and no bite. Now that Trump’s Deportation Force is cranking up — see the tragic story of … Continue reading »
Must-Read: “The Lives Of The Immigrants Who Grow Your Food”
We see their contributions every day, yet they could soon be targeted by the deportation plans of President-elect Donald Trump. Two new pieces lift up backbreaking work of undocumented immigrant farmworkers, who make up as much as 1.75 million of the 2.5 million farmworker population, according to data from the US Department of Labor’s 2012 … Continue reading »
ICYMI: “You Could Soon Pay More Money For Worse Food. Thanks, Donald Trump.”
In a new piece for Washington Post’s “WonkBlog”, Caitlin Dewey highlights the varied economic consequences of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to deport millions of immigrants. As Dewey explains, “Undocumented workers account for 67 percent of people harvesting fruit, according to the Agriculture Department. They make up 61 percent of all employees on vegetable farms, and as many as … Continue reading »
As Republicans Gather In Agriculture-Rich California, A Lesson From The Devastating Effects Of Alabama’s Anti-Immigrant HB 56
As Republican candidates descend on agriculture and immigrant-rich California for their second debate, you don’t have to wonder what kind of effects Donald Trump’s radical immigration “plan” would have on the state and elsewhere — all you have to do is look at Alabama. The draconian, Trump-style HB 56 — implemented in 2011 by state … Continue reading »