Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies are an attack on America’s food system | Opinion

In the first three weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration’s immigration policies have led to widespread fear in communities including California’s Central Valley — many local migrant farmworkers have stopped reporting for work out of fear they will be deported.

During the onset of the COVID pandemic, these same migrant farmworkers were hailed as first responders, working tirelessly and risking their own lives to feed communities and people all over the U.S. Now, we ask our state and federal government officials: What will you do to defend these individuals from immigration enforcement raids?

According to federal data, California has an estimated 162,000 farmworkers. More than half of them are undocumented. Farmworkers perform exhausting manual labor and contribute greatly to their communities and the U.S. food system. As California braces for a promised blitz of raids and deportations, farmers and immigrant advocacy organizations in the state are afraid that targeting this workforce will violate basic human rights and tear apart families and communities. It may also lead to lost harvests and higher food prices.

Anti-migrant policies are harmful for migrants and for the country as a whole. The National Center for Farmworker Health estimates that 70% of the nation’s 2.9 million agricultural workers are foreign born. Data shows that many U.S. citizens will not work in labor-intensive, manual jobs, which can create labor shortages. Simply put, the U.S. food supply chain depends on migrant labor.

When farmworkers are protected, the whole community benefits. All of us need to do everything in our power to stop immigration raids and deportations, and work to build safe, welcoming communities.

Local community groups in California are actively working to document the scene in places where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were being reported by noting any violations of rights or use of force, recording the names of people being detained and interviewing witnesses.

While these rapid response teams are paramount to protecting immigrants, community organizations must move beyond these crisis responses and develop sustained advocacy and education efforts. This proactive framework is essential to address the ongoing challenges faced by immigrant communities and counter harmful policies effectively.

We must put pressure on local and state officials to keep our communities safe from raids and deportation. Our elected officials must prohibit the use of their resources for immigration enforcement activities (by refusing to share the immigration status of individuals and refusing to collaborate with federal agents, for example). They can legally protect “sensitive sites” (such as schools, hospitals, community organizations and places of worship) from immigration raids and use resources to promote regional collaboration to ensure the protection of immigrants throughout the Central Valley.

Having worked for decades with our farmworker communities, we know that city and county officials can play a significant role in prioritizing the voices of farmworkers by rejecting measures that undermine their livelihood.

We believe that everyone has a role to play in challenging forced displacement and advocating for the rights of all who seek safety and peace. These farmworkers consider the Central Valley their home. They have repeatedly proved to be good neighbors. Now, it’s our turn to be good neighbors by supporting and protecting them.