"It's tomato season and Lidia is harvesting on farms in California's Central Valley. She is also anxious. Attention from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could upend her life more than 23 years after she illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border as a teenager. The worry is they'll pull you over when you're driving and ask for your papers, said Lidia, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition that only her first name be used because of her fears of deportation. We need to work. We need to feed our families and pay our rent."
"More than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the labor force from January through the end of July, according to preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by the Pew Research Center. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents. Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants, according to Pew senior researcher Stephanie Kramer. About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants and 24% of service workers are immigrants, she added."
Lidia harvests tomatoes in California's Central Valley and fears U.S. immigration enforcement could upend her life more than 23 years after crossing the border illegally as a teenager. More than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the labor force from January through July, based on preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by Pew Research Center. Immigrants account for nearly 20% of the U.S. workforce, including 45% in farming, fishing and forestry, about 30% in construction and 24% in service jobs. The overall immigrant population is experiencing its first decline as the unauthorized population reached an estimated 14 million in 2023. The decline may reflect voluntary departures, removals, underreporting, or other technical factors, but preliminary numbers indicate net-negative migration.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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