Immigration & Labor
Immigration and Labor Issues for farmworkers
Approximately 1.6 million migrant and seasonal farmworkers toil in labor-intensive crops, including fruits, vegetables and horticultural products, not including their family members (and excluding livestock workers and some other agricultural workers).
Most farmworkers are foreign-born and poor, have limited education, and lack authorized immigration status. Because their working conditions are often poor and they are discriminated against in our labor laws, many farmworkers leave agriculture when they have the opportunity to do so. This instability causes constant demand for new migrant workers from abroad and public policies to facilitate migration. Agribusiness and other employers have succeeded in preventing meaningful labor law enforcement or immigration law enforcement in the workplace. It is often advantageous to hire vulnerable undocumented workers who will work hard without challenging unfair or illegal treatment as the employer's risks of prosecution are low and the penalties are minor.
Accordingly, immigration and labor law are critical issues affecting the lives of farmworkers. Estimates regarding the number of undocumented farmworkers indicate that over half of all farmworkers are undocumented. The ability to legalize immigration status is key to enabling farmworkers to come out of the shadows and to bargain for better working and living conditions.| Next >Labor Laws for farmworkers |
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