Tag Archives: immigrant farm workers

Attacks on Immigrant Workers Cross Party Lines

  By Maegan La Mala | February 9, 2011 - 7:50 pm |
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Just last month, I wrote about how I.C.E., a division of the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was stepping up so called “silent raids” or audits of companies suspected of hiring undocumented workers. This announcement, which really was just an official announcement of what I.C.E. has already been doing (besides “loud” raids in communities), certainly can be related to the mass firings and investigations into the employees of faux Mexican chain Chipotle.

Fact : Department of Homeland Security is run by Janet Napolitano, Democrat, appointed by Democrat President Obama. In fact here is what Napolitano had to say about E-Verify on C-Span.


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Hilda Solis Gets to Work Reversing Bush Farm Worker Rule

  By Maegan la Mamita Mala | March 18, 2009 - 8:45 am |
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s001153Labor Secretary Hilda Solis wasted no time in getting down to business after being sworn in last week. Her first major move was to reverse a last minute Bush change to the H-2A agricultural guestworker program.

The changes lowered the wage formula and reduced government oversight in an industry already rife with abuses against migrant workers.

On Solís’ first day in office, the Labor Department announced in a statement “the proposed suspension for nine months” of the rule. Solís said in the release:

Because many stakeholders have raised concerns about the H-2A regulations, this proposed suspension is the prudent and responsible action to take.

Suspending the rule would allow the department to review and reconsider the regulation, while minimizing disruption to state workforce agencies, employers and workers.

So nice to see some movement towards helping immigrant workers from the Obama administration.

Via / Feet in 2 Worlds

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Strange Fruit Revisited : The Lechuga Story

  By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo | September 5, 2007 - 1:14 pm |
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farmwokers.jpgRemember when I challenged all those “send ‘em back” anti-immigration advocates in light of the impact that the lack of immigration reform could have on business and on prices? Today’s New York Times has a really interesting article about how farmers are renting fields in Mexico where they can get cheap labor directly from the source without worrying about immigration laws.One lettuce farmer who moved his operation south of the border gives his perspective:

He also dismisses arguments that he could attract workers by raising wages, saying Americans do not take the sweaty, seasonal field jobs. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I did that I would raise my costs and I would not have a legal work force,” Mr. Scaroni said.

Image Via / NYT (Registration required)

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Strange Fruit

  By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo | August 23, 2007 - 7:57 am |
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workers.jpgMany who have left comments here at VL have cheered the recent immigrant redadas and the deportations that have followed but what would be really interesting would be to see how the loss of a large number of immigrants impacts individual communities and their economies and then hear people complain. Racewire takes a few stories from papers across the country that have covered the negative impact of the loss of immigrant labor. Immigrants, because of fears of being deported or actually being deported, aren’t around to pick fruits, veggies, and crabs, horses aren’t being walked, lawns aren’t being cut, and pizzas are taking a hell of alot longer to be delivered.

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