Central Valley farmworkers scared to show up to work over deportation fear
The impact of President-elect Donald Trump's promise of mass deportation is already starting to show.
The California Farm Bureau says fears in the Central Valley have led to migrant farmworkers not showing up for work, which has virtually halted the area's citrus harvest. Agriculture leaders in the Bay Area are worried about something similar happening locally and what it could mean for citrus prices.
It’s the peak of citrus harvest season in Kern County right now, but the industry is taking a hit after immigration agents conducted several operations last week, targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
The state farm bureau reports that action made some agriculture workers too afraid to show up for work.
"We are certainly very concerned about what is happening and how that is unfolding," Monterey County Farm Bureau Executive Director Norm Groot said...
"They were called essential workers during the pandemic when our nation needed them and now they are asking us to be there for them when they need us," Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo said...