Americans will feel impact of immigration enforcement on farms, union president warns [View all]
Source: NPR
Updated June 13, 2025 1:06 PM ET
As immigration enforcement ramps up, the head of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union says agriculture workers across the country are afraid to show up for work – and warned that fear could impact households across the country. This week, federal agents reportedly swept through farms in California. Last month, immigration agents stopped a bus in upstate New York and detained more than a dozen farm workers.
The union, which represents thousands of workers across the country, says such incidents are becoming more common. "Even though they're terrified, they're scared, they're showing up to work," Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers union, told Morning Edition. "They need to pay the rent, they need to pay the utilities, they need to feed their family."
On Tuesday, UFW – founded by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez – called on agricultural employers to "harden" their worksites by educating workers and staff about their rights as well as legal requirements for law enforcement to enter worksites. The federal government estimates that around 40% of crop farmworkers lack work authorization. Romero discussed the reported immigration enforcement actions on farms and how these may impact kitchen tables across the country.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm the raids to NPR. The agency also did not respond to specific questions from Morning Edition about enforcement actions targeting farmworkers. Meanwhile, the FBI posted on social media about assisting in recent immigration operations.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/06/13/nx-s1-5431612/trump-ice-farm-raids-united-farm-workers-union
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