Survey Shows US Farm Workers Living in Fear Amid Immigration Raids
A new United Farm Workers Foundation poll of 2,250 farm laborers reveals widespread anxiety over immigration raids, deportations and family separation under the Trump administration.
The United Farm Workers Foundation surveyed 2,250 agricultural workers, most of whom lack legal status, about the effects of intensified immigration enforcement in the second Trump administration. Over nine out of ten say raids and deportations have altered their employment situation, and a similar share worry about being separated from loved ones. Behavioral changes include reduced shopping and avoidance of health services, with 17% fearing forced labor in detention.
Respondents, many of whom have lived in the United States for more than a decade, expressed strong desire for deportation safeguards and a legal status pathway. Yasmine, a long-term DACA recipient and mother of U.S. citizen daughters, illustrated the personal toll, describing constant fear and delayed work permits. The survey aims to highlight these hardships to policymakers, while the Department of Homeland Security defended its enforcement as essential for safety and anti-trafficking efforts.
Why it matters
The findings expose how immigration policy directly affects the wellbeing and productivity of a vital U.S. labor force.
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