A nationwide survey of more than 2,250 agricultural workers finds widespread concerns over deportation, family separation and the impact of immigration enforcement on California’s farm workforce.
A new nationwide survey is shedding light on the fears many farmworkers face as immigration enforcement intensifies, documenting concerns about deportation, family separation and returning to countries many have not called home for years.
The 29-page report, Under the Sun and Out of the Shadows, released by the United Farm Workers Foundation, surveyed more than 2,250 farmworkers across the United States, including workers with legal status and those without permanent legal authorization. The report examines how immigration enforcement has affected agricultural workers and their families over the past year.
Among the report’s findings, 90% of respondents said they worry about being separated from their families because of deportations. Nearly half said they have not lived in their country of origin for many years, while 13% said they fear persecution if they were forced to return to their birth countries.
The findings are especially relevant in Central California, where agriculture is the backbone of the regional economy. The San Joaquin Valley produces a significant share of the nation’s fruits, vegetables, nuts and dairy products, and growers rely on hundreds of thousands of farmworkers to plant, harvest, pack and process crops that support billions of dollars in economic activity each year.
For many of those workers, immigration status and the threat of deportation remain a source of daily anxiety, according to the report. The United Farm Workers Foundation said respondents described concerns that immigration enforcement could separate families, disrupt communities and discourage workers from accessing services or reporting workplace issues.
The report surveyed workers from a range of immigration backgrounds, including documented workers and those lacking permanent legal status. While it offers insight into the experiences of thousands of farmworkers, the survey was conducted through the foundation’s outreach networks rather than as a statistically representative sample of all U.S. farmworkers.
As immigration policy continues to shape the national debate, the report underscores how those decisions can have local consequences in agricultural regions like Central California, where the stability of the farm workforce is closely tied to the success of one of the nation’s most productive farming economies.
