Shanteya Hudson, Producer
Friday, January 10, 2025
Organizations supporting farm workers are ramping up efforts to protect immigrant laborers in light of looming mass-deportation threats.
About 40% of farm workers are not authorized to legally work in the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture. But Elizabeth Walle, communications director for the Food Chain Workers Alliance, said immigrants play critical roles in keeping North Carolina's grocery shelves stocked and local economies afloat.
She explained the possibility of large-scale immigration crackdowns has fueled anxiety among these workers, many of whom already endure harsh working conditions.
"Something that is a consistent problem for farm workers is, obviously, people using their status as a way to control them," she said. "Whether you are undocumented or if you are an H-2A visa temporary worker, that's really an ongoing theme that's obviously going to be ramped up."
About 100,000 farm workers call North Carolina home. Walle said these workers are essential, not only to the food system but the broader economy. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that in 2022, undocumented workers paid almost $700 million in North Carolina state and local taxes.
Beyond immigration threats, Walle cited growing concerns about potential rollbacks to labor protections. She said farm workers' advocates have long fought for safeguards against extreme heat and unsafe working conditions, but these gains are now at risk. She added that attacks on the National Labor Relations Board could weaken worker protections further.
"Definitely concerned about what's going to happen to the National Labor Relations Board," she said. "Elon Musk and other CEOs and corporations have been kind of attacking NLRB for the last couple years."
Walle noted some farmers are also voicing concern about potential disruptions to their workforce. She said she thinks increased reliance on H-2A visa workers to fill these gaps could heighten the risk of exploitation within the system. So, Walle said advocacy groups are trying to equip farm workers with the resources they need to navigate an uncertain future - such as legal or financial assistance.
"Focusing on stuff like 'Know your rights' trainings," she said, "which could be anything about how to deal with ICE, how to deal with your employer, how to prepare for being caught up in the immigration system. Also a lot of rapid response networks. "
North Carolina is home to almost 300,000 undocumented immigrants.
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