Sergio Olmos, CalMatters, Jan. 10, 2025
“Acres of orange fields sat unpicked in Kern County this week as phrase of Border Patrol raids circulated by Messenger chats and pictures of federal brokers detaining laborers unfold on native Fb teams. The Border Patrol performed unannounced raids all through Bakersfield on Tuesday, descending on companies the place day laborers and subject employees collect. Brokers in unmarked SUVs rounded up folks in vans exterior a Residence Depot and fuel station that serves a breakfast in style with subject employees. … “It was profiling, it was purely subject employees,” stated Sara Fuentes, retailer supervisor of the native fuel station. Fuentes stated that at 9 a.m., when the shop sometimes will get a rush of employees on their solution to choose oranges, two males in civilian garments and unmarked Suburbans began detaining folks exterior the shop. “They didn’t cease folks with FedEx uniforms, they have been stopping individuals who seemed like they labored within the fields.” Fuentes says one buyer pulled in simply to pump fuel and brokers approached him and detained him. … Growers and agricultural leaders in California and throughout the nation have warned that Trump’s promised mass deportations will disrupt the nation’s meals provide, resulting in shortages and better costs. In Kern County this week, simply the phrase of the deportations impressed employees to steer clear of the fields. … “We’re in the course of our citrus harvesting. This despatched shockwaves by the complete group,” stated Casey Creamer, president of the trade group California Citrus Mutual, on Thursday. “Individuals aren’t going to work and children aren’t going to high school. Yesterday about 25% of the workforce, right this moment 75% didn’t present up.” He pushed again on the Border Patrol’s claims they’re concentrating on dangerous folks. He stated they gave the impression to be common sweeps of employees. “If that is the brand new regular, that is absolute financial devastation,” stated Richard S. Gearhart, an affiliate professor of economics at Cal State-Bakersfield. … “So, you WILL see, in the long term, meals inflation and meals shortages,” he wrote in a textual content message. He predicted immigrants, even ones with paperwork, would cease purchasing, going to high school and searching for well being care. “So, this might have some severe deleterious long term impacts past misplaced farm productiveness. Losses in schooling and well being can be catastrophic,” he stated. “Principally, you know the way Kern County complains about oil? This occasion can be analogous to shutting down oil manufacturing. Financial disaster.”
See additionally, Newsweek, “New California Immigration Raids Are ‘Sowing Chaos”