Trump's Immigration Plans Are Already Wrecking Food Industry. Immigrant farm workers are too scared to show up to work

[Jack Valentino]

Full Article: https://newrepublic.com/post/190555/donald-trump-immigration-deportations-farm-workers

My chosen excerpts:

:::snip:::

Undocumented workers have been targeted walking in and out of gas stations, getting breakfast, at Home Depot, or while driving along the 99 Highway, leaving many with no other option than to simply stay at home.

“We’re in the middle of our citrus harvesting,” Casey Creamer, president of the industry group California Citrus Mutual, told CalMatters. “This sent shockwaves through the entire community. People aren’t going to work and kids aren’t going to school. Yesterday about 25 percent of the workforce, today 75 percent didn’t show up.”

Losing the bulk of America’s agricultural workforce overnight is a recipe for “absolute economic devastation,” according to Richard S. Gearhart, an associate professor of economics at Cal State-Bakersfield, who spoke with the nonprofit news outlet.

“You are talking about a recession-level event if this is the new long-term norm,” Gearhart said, arguing that the end result of Trump’s policies will be felt in the grocery store checkout lines across America.

:::snip:::



Better gorge on oranges now, folks--- you may not want to pay what they may cost later, if you can even find them---with California's next crop "roasting in the blazing sun" right now, with hardly any workers showing up to pick them--- !!!

[spooky3]

1. What % of their bosses voted for TSF? Nt

[crud]

3. 100

[spooky3]

4. Was thinking the same thing--as they say, leopards are feasting nt

[blm]

2. Oh geez.

“We’re in the middle of our citrus harvesting,” Casey Creamer, president of the industry group California Citrus Mutual, told CalMatters. “This sent shockwaves through the entire community. People aren’t going to work and kids aren’t going to school. Yesterday about 25 percent of the workforce, today 75 percent didn’t show up.”
Losing the bulk of America’s agricultural workforce overnight is a recipe for “absolute economic devastation,” according to Richard S. Gearhart, an associate professor of economics at Cal State-Bakersfield, who spoke with the nonprofit news outlet.
“You are talking about a recession-level event if this is the new long-term norm,” Gearhart said, arguing that the end result of Trump’s policies will be felt in the grocery store checkout lines across America.

https://newrepublic.com/post/190555/donald-trump-immigration-deportations-farm-workers

[Jack Valentino]

5. It's different from a recession--- when people go to jobs if they have them....

Now these farm workers are disappearing before the deportation arrests have even made a drop in the bucket---

It's more like a huge general strike by harvest workers!

[William Gustafson]

6. think thats bad...

Wait till the fires are out in California, and they will need contractors to rebuild the thousands of homes damaged... there won't be very many left to do the work...

I had my roof replaced on a 2200 sqft house... they striped the roof and re-roofed all in one day... All Mexicans... and they did a great job... I didn't ask if any of them where here illegally and I don't care if they were... they worked hard and did a great job.

[demosincebirth]

7. Yup, harder workers than any of us, Americans. I don't see

any murcans picking fruits or vegetables

[Norbert]

10. I had my roof done three years ago

I left for work at 6:30AM. When I returned at 3:30 it was done and cleaned up. The wife said, to the best of her knowledge the workers were Mexican and they worked their butts off.

I'm wondering about the roofing contractor,. how much of a work force they have, if any. I'm sure, documented or not, they are fair game. ICE doesn't care.

[C Moon]

8. Damn. Sad. Reminds me of that low budget 2004 movie, "A Day Without a Mexican."

?si=BeWDVItNnPM5TsP5

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Credible risk of losing farms forever.

Even commercial farms.

Land auctioned, bought for discount, homes built on them, never to return to growing food.

[JanMichael]

11. But the price of eggs!!! Idiots.

[BoRaGard]

12. "Ha ha. Suckers and Losers, Ha ha." - G.O.P.

[tanyev]

13. Bakersfield, huh? Pretty red area, right?

Surely they won’t regret getting everything they voted for.

[republianmushroom]

14. Can't blame the workers.