Immigration raids leave crops unharvested, California farms at risk

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

Lisa Tate is a sixth-generation farmer in Ventura County, California, an area that produces billions of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables each year, much of it hand-picked by immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Tate knows the farms around her well. And she says she can see with her own eyes how raids carried out by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the area’s fields earlier this month, part of President Donald Trump’s migration crackdown, have frightened off workers.

“In the fields, I would say 70% of the workers are gone,” she said in an interview. “If 70% of your workforce doesn’t show up, 70% of your crop doesn’t get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don’t want to do this work. Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust.”

In the vast agricultural lands north of Los Angeles, stretching from Ventura County into the state’s central valley, two farmers, two field supervisors and four immigrant farmworkers told Reuters this month that the ICE raids have led a majority of workers to stop showing up.

That means crops are not being picked and fruit and vegetables are rotting at peak harvest time, they said.

Read more: https://archive.ph/a3xaa

[marble falls]

1. woo.hoo.so.much.winning. "Good job, TACO!"

[Justice matters.]

25. They voted for a convicted idiot who lies all the time.

A lifelong scammer who pays about $14.43 a week in federal taxes when he pays $750 in years he contributes, $0.00 in years he doesn't pay any.

But they would never vote for a qualified woman, nor for a honest woman of color...

They FAFO bigly. ( I bet they laugh at his childish "jokes" or maybe not anymore? ).

[Magoo48]

58. Apparently, MAGAts don't eat fruits and vegetables.

Letting California crops fail, has huge ramifications for the rest of the country. Where on the list of potential customers for California produce do you suppose red states stand at this point?

[mwmisses4289]

2. Well, that's what you idiots voted for, isn't it?

If you voted for trump, you are getting exactly what you voted for. It's just sad that your stupidity is going to make the rest of us suffer right along with you.

(Oh, wait, i keep forgetting...you aren't the ones who are supposed to be affected, right? 🙄 )

[BoRaGard]

3. "Ha ha. Now you libs will suffer." - republicon magats

[tanyev]

5. "Ha, ha, got rid of all those awful illegals. Let's go out to eat to celebrate!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS ARE ALL CLOSED BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER HAVE RELIABLE FOOD SUPPLIERS???"

[the_liberal_grandpa]

16. Not to mention

cooks and dishwashers and prices so high business is dropping anyway.

[MayReasonRule]

27. Good One! Here's One More...

[calimary]

31. I just saw this again and it made the most amazing sense!

A real parable for our times.

[CrispyQ]

46. Seen on FB: Between deportations & tariffs, republicans will only be able to rent the libs instead of own them.

I think a good number of them figure it will take until Thanksgiving/Christmas before America is great again. At that point, they will extend their grace period to next year, & then beyond, & beyond again. Cult behavior. I absolutely cannot believe I have family who still think Trump & repubs are the only way to go. WTF?

[RussBLib]

4. The wealthy will be able to afford food....

...no matter how expensive it may get, leaving the rest of us fighting over the crumbs.

Maybe that's why they want tax cuts and handouts for the wealthy: to prepare for the coming food wars.

https://russblib.blogspot.com/?m=1

[nitpicked]

8. Two possible outcomes

1. Food will be imported, and prices will include tariffs:
2. Food will be imported, and tariffs will be "temporarily suspended".

[Mz Pip]

17. Or

Trump will bail out the farmers like he did last time.

[irisblue]

20. Or "detained persons" will be rented out by the prison companies to the new BigAg companies

To pick the crops anyway.

2024 AP article

https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4e

Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands

[Attilatheblond]

36. Most likely outcome. This capture and incarceration in Private For Profit Prisons is just legalized slavery

The Confederacy is not geographic it is a class of economic predators who want most of us enslaved and denied rights of citizenship.

[irisblue]

38. There are dozens of articles on for profit prisons & forced agricultural labor.

Just in 5 min of Google

https://sentientmedia.org/prison-labor-meat/
https://magazine.libarts.colostate.edu/article/interactive-digital-project-prison-ag-system/
https://bittmanproject.com/the-unseen-role-of-prisons-in-our-food-system/

[pecosbob]

54. Ding, ding, ding.

[progressoid]

39. That will help the farmers out but won't help the people who eat their now rotting food.

[hunter]

6. Somebody wants to turn all those farms into "whites only" housing developments.

If the ag land isn't producing there's no reason to protect it.

[Attilatheblond]

37. Yep, part of the plan, especially in places like Ventura county where climate is incredibly lovely

Land speculators buy up land, get 'agricultural land' tax rates then when it is financially beneficial, they cover some of the best, most productive farm land into the world with overpriced houses that will not last long.

The land in Ventura County is amazingly productive, but those who want all the $$ now want to plant housing tracks. Their plans are also the root of turning public lands over to logging.

Build where the land isn't as productive. People need housing, yes, but they need food too.

[Hotler]

7. It's time for MAGA voters to step up and fill the void left by the deportations.

Set an example for us woke folk.

[Justice matters.]

29. They're too busy insulting libs on X...

They think it's "fun" but when grok answers rebukes to their propaganda, they switch to another thread...

[Hotler]

47. Thin skinned for sure. And they don't seem to want to work.

I think this guy is a repug. I could be wrong. I get a repug vib.
Mike Rowe warns America has 7 million men in their prime who aren’t working — and they're not even looking
(snip) American TV host and philanthropist Mike Rowe believes there’s a “horror story” unfolding in the American labor market.
“The stat that sticks with me and worries me today is 7.2 million able-bodied men, today in their prime working years, are not only unemployed … [they’re] officially not even looking,” he said in an interview with non-profit Moms For America.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careers/mike-rowe-warns-america-has-7-million-men-in-their-prime-who-aren-t-working-and-they-re-not-even-looking/ar-AA1HxHoj?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=2a721fc07a4d4e7b8854f52f189b5ba8&ei=30

[Norrrm]

9. Two solutions.... Hire republicans... More socialist farmer bailouts from Trump

Hire republicans who now get their jobs back.

[LiberalArkie]

10. Almost time for Trumps investment bankers to come in and start buying them up. As I do not think any top money

people have been raided. Remember back in the early 80's when most of the family farms were put of business so that the big boys could buy them all up. I guess it is time for round 2. Or is it round 3?

[dexdah]

14. That's it!

Corporate plantations. And they’ll need cheap labor, slave labor. Coming soon!

[BattleRow]

32. Uncle Sam's Plantation...

[LiberalArkie]

40. Kind of like the Arkansas prison farms probably

[Mz Pip]

11. California Central Valley

Huge Trump country.
Lots of Farmers for Trump signs along I-5.

[AllaN01Bear]

15. my county . been r since 1906.

many voted for obama then fell for he who shall not be named .

[DENVERPOPS]

28. The RepubliCONs

are targeting California anyway the can to try and sink the state that has the fourth largest economy of all nations.

The selling off of Public lands to the wealthy is also going to inflate the pocket books of the wealthy.
They will be offering the land at way way below market value to the Uber Rich Oligarchs for them to develop.....
For instance, take the National forests around somewhere like Vail, that aren't built on due to them being federal lands......
if sold to the Uber Rich, they can then develop it with tons more of outrageously expensive houses.

[AllaN01Bear]

12. this happened under every r prez since i have been alive , but , they keep deporting . and this keeps happening

[Mz Pip]

13. California Central Valley

Huge Trump country.
Lots of Farmers for Trump signs along I-5.

[PatSeg]

18. Maybe Gavin Newsom can call up the National Guard

to harvest the crops. It is starting to look like a national emergency.

[AntiFascist]

49. Newsom should call up the California State Guard to protect legal immigrant workers n/t

[PatSeg]

56. Yes, that would be a better solution

[Historic NY]

19. MAGA better start picking so they make America Great Again.

note they are lazy .

[PlanetBev]

21. I live in Ventura County

This is breaking my heart.

[republianmushroom]

22. America living and learning the hard way.

[calimary]

23. Gee thanks a HEAP, donald.

You’re really doing a number here. But you somehow think it’s FOR us.

However, we on the receiving end of that see it as being done TO us.

[BattleRow]

34. Doing a job ON us,NOT a job FOR us!

[calimary]

43. Yep. Exactly.

[ananda]

24. I guess those Trumpers don't need farm food.

Looks like most of their grocery shelves will be empty.

[BattleRow]

35. Who needs farm food?

Last edited Mon Jun 30, 2025, 03:19 PM - Edit history (1)

When the blood banks will be full after bleeding us dry?
The Trumpers of the Vampire Empire prefer a liquid diet.

[AStern]

26. Surely AI can solve this

[Harker]

30. Let them eat cake!

[Quanto Magnus]

33. And all of the huuuuge farm companies

will buy up the small guys for pennies on the dollar.... going as planned by the Trump admin to help his rich pals...

[gfarber]

41. ICE vs farms

In the fields where the fruit used to thrive,
Few are left now to keep it alive.
With the workers all gone,
The ripe crops stay on—
And they rot while the farms can't survive.

In areas where the sunlight once blessed,
Now the silence hangs heavy, oppressed.
With the workers in flight,
Crops decay out of sight—
And the land mourns the lives it divest.

[ChcioInf]

42. Just sad

So CA won't feed the country anymore? I just can't visualize such a future. Just terrible.

[Vinca]

44. Last Thursday I went to buy fruit at the store and there were 3 navel oranges. 3. And they didn't look healthy.

Today they had a couple of dozen and I managed to find 4 that looked good. I'm definitely seeing problems in the produce department.

[Buddyzbuddy]

45. He is absolutely turning us into Russia.

How long before we see bread lines and empty shelves? Oh, wait, we did see that during his first term.

The monied elite and corporate America are getting what they paid for and the rubes and racists of America are getting what they voted for. But most of America will suffer the consequence. This is what happens when you put a guy in charge of reinventing the wheel, when he can't even figure out you can't put a square peg into the round hole. But, he's a genius.

Our Country wasn't perfect but it was good while it lasted.

[kerouac2]

48. And bailing out farmers does not get crops picked

So it doesn't help food chain supply, it all rots

[czarjak]

50. Not to worry...

W said faith faith-based organizations will step forward to fill the void. So, all is well?

[alfredo]

51. Empty shelves in our future?

[no_hypocrisy]

52. John Steinbeck would have a field day (no pun intended)

with this situation — as would Woody Guthrie.

[Gimpyknee]

53. Once again our tax dollars will go to Trump farm subsidies in 4...3...2...

[pecosbob]

55. Truth is many farmers are finding out their career is giving them cancer.

Who would have figured working fields soaked with Round-up was bad for your health?

They need bodies to work the fields...big ag will happily exploit prison labor. The only other option is to actually pay enough to attract legal workers and we all know that would mean twenty dollar cantaloupes and that ain't gonna happen.

In addition, now that the Supreme Court has ruled that prisoners can no longer sue the government many will disappear into a never-ending Hell.

[Hassler]

57. Apparently winning smells like rotting produce