Dems ask Trump USDA pick who will do 'backbreaking' farming amid mass deportations
FOX NewsJan 22
Economists Say Trump Deportation Plans Already Hurting Agriculture
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Above: Farm workers pick leafy greens in the field in San Jacinto, Calif., before a Training Occupational Development Educating Communities (TODEC) "Know Your Rights" event on Nov. 19, 2024. Image copyright: Allen J. Schaben/Contributor/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Facts
A reported 75% of farm workers in Bakersfield, Calif., failed to report to work on Wednesday following increased US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations under the new Trump administration, which has revoked Obama-era protections that limited enforcement in sensitive areas like schools, hospitals, and workplaces.
Border Patrol agents in unmarked vehicles conducted raids targeting field workers in Bakersfield, with witnesses alleging selective enforcement based on appearance rather than documented status.
The US Department of Labor's data indicates that 42% of crop farmworkers nationwide are unauthorized immigrants. In California, the agricultural workforce is estimated to be around 50% unauthorized, with some estimates placing it at 75%.
The Spin
Left narrative
Trump’s immigration crackdown will destabilize the agricultural industry by deporting its essential immigrant workforce. As farms struggle to replace these workers with American citizens, Trump will likely expand exploitative H-2 visa programs, creating a captive, low-wage labor force. This move benefits employers while perpetuating abuse and wage theft, destroying fair labor practices and undermining the industry.
Right narrative
Trump critics cherry-pick economic arguments to claim that mass deportations are inherently negative, focusing on the immediate labor shortages in agriculture while ignoring the broader economic implications. They often ignore how illegal immigration costs US taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and how Americans are losing jobs to cheaper illegal labor in non-agricultural industries, driving down wages and employment opportunities for citizens.
