Deportation and Migrant U.S. Farmworkers
So much in the gray as we come out of this latest election cycle and part of that murky territory includes discussions on threats of deportation and agricultural labor shortages.President-elect Donald Trump on Monday confirmed he would declare a national emergency to carry out his campaign promise of mass deportations of migrants living in the U.S. without legal permission.
Bloomberg reports that farming could be one of the biggest U.S. sectors hit should that promise be realized.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said nearly half of hired crop farmworkers lack legal immigration status. The share of laborers not lawfully authorized to work in the US rose from about 14% in the 1989-91 period to roughly 40% in recent years.
Speculation is that it is specialty crop areas such as fruits, nuts, and vegetables that could see the most impact, relying heavily on foreign workers. Agri-Pulse’s Steve Davies reported recently that “producers are worried, chief among them dairy farmers whose operations rely heavily on immigrant labor. The National Milk Producers Federation, citing a 2015 study, says 51% of the workers at dairy operations are immigrants.”
For more, visit:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/trump-s-mass-deportation-plan-to-hurt-farming-co-op-chief-says?embedded-checkout=true
https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-policy/trump-s-deportation-threats-could-devastate-farming-industry
https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/21893-ag-industry-weighs-breadth-impact-of-trumps-deportation-plans