Latest news with #farmworkers
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
On a Quiet Southern Border, Empty Farms and Frightened Workers
Alexandra, a 55-year-old undocumented immigrant, was on her way to work at a watermelon farm in the border city of Edinburg, Texas, recently when her oldest son stopped her before she stepped out of her aging trailer. 'Please don't go. You are going to get deported,' he told Alexandra, who asked that her last name not be used because she did not want to attract attention from federal immigration agents. Her son then showed her graphic videos of federal agents chasing and handcuffing migrants seemingly all over the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. 'That could be you,' he said. President Trump's conflicting orders to exempt, then target, then again exempt farm workers from his aggressive immigration sweeps of work sites have caused havoc in agricultural industries across the country, where about 42 percent of farm workers are undocumented, according to the Agriculture Department. But perhaps nowhere is fear among farm workers more palpable than on the farms and ranches along the southwestern U.S.-Mexico border, where for centuries workers have considered the frontier as being more porous than prohibitive. Administration officials have vowed to make good on a once-popular campaign promise from Mr. Trump to deport millions of undocumented workers, in what he has said will be the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. As workplace raids have eroded that popularity and sparked angry protests across the country, the border region has been eerily quiet. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
New ICE data reveals who federal agents are detaining in immigration raids
According to new ICE data obtained by NBC News, 120,000 out of the 185,000 immigrants arrested by ICE since October have committed no serious crimes. Videos from Southern California show farm workers, day laborers and street vendors being taken into custody. NBC News' Jacob Soboroff reports.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration suspends enforcement of Biden-era farmworker rule
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration said on Friday it was suspending enforcement of a "burdensome" farmworker rule from former President Joe Biden's administration. The 2024 rule provided protection for workplace organizing to foreign farmworkers in the U.S. on H-2A visas. The U.S. Department of Labor said the rule had already been suspended because of federal injunctions. "The decision provides much-needed clarity for American farmers navigating the H-2A program, while also aligning with President Trump's ongoing commitment to strictly enforcing U.S. immigration laws," the department said in a statement. "As multiple federal court injunctions have created significant legal uncertainty, inconsistency, and operational challenges for farmers lawfully employing H-2A workers, this field assistance bulletin clarifies that the department will not be enforcing the 2024 final rule effective immediately." The H-2A visa program allows farmers to bring in an unlimited number of foreign seasonal farmhands if they can show there are not enough U.S. workers willing, qualified and available to do the job. The program has grown over time, with 378,000 H-2A positions certified by the Labor Department in 2023, three times more than in 2014. That figure is about 20% of the nation's farmworkers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Trump said last week he would take steps soon to address the effects of his immigration crackdown on the country's farm and hotel industries, which rely heavily on migrant labor.
Fast Company
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Fast Company
What is ‘wet bulb' temperature? How heat and humidity combine to dangerous levels
Extreme levels of heat and humidity are forecast to spread across the country over the next two weeks, blanketing the Southwest, Midwest, and East Coast with high temperatures beginning this June 19 and 20, and extending through the next several days. High heat alone is a risk to humans, but heat and humidity together make an especially dangerous combination. Humidity has to do with the concentration of water vapor in the air, that cloying stickiness that separates it from 'dry heat.' When humidity is high, it affects how well our bodies can cool down via sweating. And when high humidity happens in conjunction with high temperatures and intense sun, it poses an even bigger threat. One measurement of that risk comes via the 'wet bulb' temperature forecasts. This weekend, some regions —specifically around Chicago and down to the Florida Panhandle—are expected to reach 'high' and even 'extreme' wet-bulb temperatures of 85 degrees and higher, which increase the threat of heat stress. What is wet-bulb temperature? The wet-bulb globe temperature is one way meteorologists quantify heat. It includes not just the air's temperature, but also factors including humidity, wind, and sunlight. This makes the wet-bulb temperature a particularly important measurement for those who have to spend time outdoors often without shade, like many construction workers or farmworkers. It's also a useful measurement for those who partake in sports and outdoor recreational activities. The National Weather Service warns that as the wet-bulb globe temperature rises above 80 degrees, athletes should take increasing precautions, such as more rest and water breaks to help reduce the effects of the heat, and they may even want to remove their pads, gear, and other equipment. To get the wet-bulb measurement, the bulb of a thermometer is wrapped in a wet cloth. As the water evaporates, it cools the thermometer, mimicking the way the evaporation of our sweat cools our bodies. Meteorologists measure the rate of evaporation, and the temperature difference between the 'wet bulb' and the 'dry bulb,' or air temperature. The wet-bulb temperature is always lower than the dry-bulb temperature, except for when humidity levels reach 100%, and then the measurements are the same. Wet-bulb temperature vs. heat index, and their risks The heat index is another way to show the risk from extreme temperatures. But unlike the wet-bulb measurement, the heat index is measured in the shade. It takes into account the air temperature and relative humidity when someone's not in direct sunlight, to give a sense of how warm it really 'feels like,' at least when standing in a shady spot. Step into the sun, though, and it's likely to feel even hotter. The wet-bulb temp is measured in direct sunlight and takes the angle of the sun into account, along with humidity, wind, cloud cover, and air temperature. Both are important for figuring out the risks to our bodies in high temperatures. And it's important to look at both, because they can be different measurements depending on the conditions. When the heat index is at 80 to 90 degrees, that's a 'caution' warning, per the National Weather Service, meaning fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure or physical activity. Between 90 and 103 degrees is an 'extreme caution' classification, with a risk of heatstroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion possible. A heat index of 103 to 124 degrees is a 'danger' level, increasing one's risks from 'possible' to 'likely.' A heat index of 125 degrees or higher poses 'extreme danger.' With a wet-bulb temperature of 85 to 88 degrees, experts warn that working or exercising in direct sunlight will stress your body in just 30 minutes. As that wet-bulb temp climbs to 88 to 89, that amount of time shrinks to just 20 minutes. If the wet-bulb temperature is above 90, then only 15 minutes of work or exercise in the sun will stress your body—and you should take at least 45 minutes to rest each hour. Climate change is making extreme heat worse Wet-bulb temperatures don't always last all day, especially since they take into account the sun's angle. Looking at the National Weather Service's map of the country that shows the forecast for this weekend, those high and extreme wet-bulb temperatures show up for the 2 p.m. ET forecast on Saturday, June 21, and are mostly gone by 8 p.m. ET. Still, heat can be dangerous even at a lower wet-bulb temperature, and those high and extreme temperatures are concerning. As the earth warms, extreme heat is more likely overall—2024, for example, was the hottest year on record, and humans experienced, in general, an extra 41 days of dangerous heat because of climate change. And in places like the tropics, and especially along the 'monsoon belt,' humidity is also increasing along with heat. People there are seeing an increased risk of experiencing lethal wet-bulb temperatures in which their bodies can't cool themselves. The heat dome that will be building in the central and eastern parts of the country beginning this weekend could be historic, the Union of Concerned Scientists says—and climate change is making extreme heat events (and wet-bulb temperatures) like this worse. Currently, the nonprofit science advocacy organization notes, the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast are warmer than usual for this time of year, anomalies made 30 times more likely by climate change. That then leads to more moisture in the atmosphere, which leads to higher dew points and humidity levels over the eastern U.S. 'The fingerprints of climate change are all over this event,' the group says.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As the summer harvest season launches, confusion and uncertainty hang over California fields
As the crucial summer harvest season gets underway in California's vast agricultural regions, farmers and their workers say they feel whiplashed by a series of contradictory signals about how the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration might affect them. California grows more than one-third of the country's vegetables and more than three-quarters of the nation's fruits and nuts in the fertile expanses of the Central Valley, Central Coast and other farming regions. The industry produced nearly $60 billion in goods in 2023, according to state figures — an output that depends heavily on the skilled labor of a workforce that is at least 50% undocumented, according to University of California studies. Without workers, the juicy beefsteak tomatoes that are ripening and must be hand-harvested will rot on the vines. The yellow peaches just reaching that delicate blend of sweet and tart will fall to the ground, unpicked. Same with the melons, grapes and cherries. That's why, when federal immigration agents rolled into the berry fields of Oxnard last week and detained 40 farmworkers, growers up and down the state grew worried along with their workers. Farm laborers, many of whom have lived and worked in their communities for decades, were terrified of being rounded up and deported, separated from their families and livelihoods. Farmers worried that their workforce would vanish — either locked up in detention centers or forced into the shadows for fear of arrest — just as their labor was needed most. Everyone wanted to know whether the raids in Oxnard were the beginning of a broader statewide crackdown that would radically disrupt the harvest season — which is also the period when most farmworkers earn the most money — or just a one-off enforcement action. In the ensuing days, the answers have become no clearer, according to farmers, worker advocates and elected officials. 'We, as the California agricultural community, are trying to figure out what's going on,' said Ryan Jacobsen, chief executive of the Fresno County Farm Bureau and a farmer of almonds and grapes. He added that 'time is of the essence,' because farms and orchards are 'coming right into our busiest time.' After the raids in Ventura County last week, growers across the country began urgently lobbying the Trump administration, arguing that enforcement action on farm operations could hamper food production. They pointed to the fields around Oxnard post-raid, where, according to the Ventura County Farm Bureau, as many as 45% of the workers stayed home in subsequent days. President Trump appeared to get the message. On Thursday, he posted on Truth Social that 'our great farmers,' along with leaders in the hospitality industry, had complained that his immigration policies were 'taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.' He added that it was 'not good' and 'changes are coming!' The same day, according to a New York Times report, a senior official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote regional ICE directors telling them to lay off farms, along with restaurants and hotels. 'Effective today, please hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels,' the official wrote. Many in California agriculture took heart. Then on Monday came news that the directive to stay off farms, hotels and restaurants had been reversed. 'There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE's efforts,' Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said, according to the Washington Post. 'Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.' In California's heartland, Jacobsen of the Fresno County Farm Bureau spoke for many farmers when he said: 'We don't have a clue right now.' Asked Tuesday to clarify the administration's policy on immigration raids in farmland, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the Trump administration is committed to "enforcing federal immigration law." "While the President is focused on immediately removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from the country," Jackson said, "anyone who is here illegally is liable to be deported.' Still, Jacobsen and others noted, aside from the upheaval in Ventura County last week, agricultural operations in other parts of the state have largely been spared from mass immigration sweeps. Workers, meanwhile, have continued to show up for work, and most have even returned to the fields in Ventura County. There has been one notable outcome of last week's raids, according to several people interviewed: Employers are reaching out to workers' rights organizations, seeking guidance on how to keep their workers safe. "Some employers are trying to take steps to protect their employees, as best they can,' said Armando Elenes, secretary treasurer of the United Farm Workers. He said his organization and others have been training employers on how to respond if immigration agents show up at their farms or packinghouses. A core message, he said: Don't allow agents on the property if they don't have a signed warrant. Indeed, many of the growers whose properties were raided in Ventura County appear to have understood that; advocates reported that federal agents were turned away from a number of farms because they did not have a warrant. Read more: Eerie silence hangs over Central Coast farm fields in wake of ICE raids In Ventura County, Lucas Zucker, co-executive director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, a group that has often been at odds with growers over issues such as worker pay and protections, underscored the unusual alliance that has forged between farmers and worker advocates. Two days after the raids, Zucker read a statement condemning the immigration sweeps on behalf of Maureen McGuire, chief executive of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, an organization that represents growers. "Farmers care deeply about their workers, not as abstract labor, but as human beings and valued community members who deserve dignity, safety and respect," McGuire said in the statement. "Ventura County agriculture depends on them. California's economy depends on them. America's food system depends on them." Before reading the statement, Zucker evoked light laughter when he told the crowd: 'For those of you familiar [with] Ventura County, you might be surprised to see CAUSE reading a statement from the farm bureau. We clash on many issues, but this is something where we're united and where we're literally speaking with one voice.' 'The agriculture industry and farmworkers are both under attack, with federal agencies showing up at the door," Zucker said later. "Nothing brings people together like a common enemy.' This article is part of The Times' equity reporting initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California's economic divide. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
