Sunday, May 14, 2006
Amnesty for Immigrants
The Valley thrives on immigrants. It thrives on having a great supply of people for labor, while at the same time hiding from that fact. For that reason, California, and especially its agriculturally intensive interior, has always required a new influx of people, but has never wanted them for long.
Sadly, it seems this phenomenon has been around for decades, maybe first noticed in the 1930s, when California first "welcomed" a wave of agriculturally-trained settlers. Other movements to the state, like the Gold Rush or the draw of Hollywood on young people, have been able to withstand an overabundance of people to those professions because the people could easily redirect themselves to less dream-driven pursuits. Agriculture is a different kind of trade. It is an industry so foreign to the rest of the economy that when the government checks jobless rates, it only includes non-farm labor. Those that farm, it seems, are in it for the long haul, and are transitory in nature due to the seasonal requirements of landowners.
For hundreds of years, those that worked the farms generally do not own the land. Much of the labor for harvesting crops is seasonal. However, it is also essential. Especially for industrial farms, or corporations who own thousands of acres, labor must be plentiful at a specific moment in the growing cycle of the plant. Farmers need a guarantee that a large group of people will be ready when the time comes to pick. They also will not need them long-term, and will not be able to provide for the laborers after the crops have been harvested.
Back to the 1930s... This was the era of the Dust Bowl. Due to unsustainable agricultural practices in the Midwestern United States causing disastrous wind erosion, as well as the financing disasters of the Great Depression, thousands of agricultural families lost their farms and moved to California. The Golden State was reportedly continuing to thrive agriculturally. When they arrived, they became the state's migrant farm workers, in some cases supplanting minority groups that had already filled this niche.
This group of Americans also faced the hatred of other Americans already settled in California. The "Okies", a derogatory name used for these laborers, were sometimes banned from entering certain California counties, and often faced discrimination and bullying by officials and landowners. The farms, as usual, required labor at specific times, and then sent many away without work. Any attempts at labor organization were thwarted as farm owners simply hired other Dust Bowl refugees to fill strikers' positions.
These practices continued through the 20th century, even after farm laborers again became immigrants from other countries, primarily Mexico. Cesar Chavez, now one of the most honored of Californians, helped organize farm labor through the United Farm Workers union. Today, while the job is still not envied by most Californians, higher wages are paid, and UFW continues its work to improve safety standards and job security for laborers.
A simple understanding of this history is essential to considering the Central Valley's place in the current immigration debate being held on Capitol Hill. President Bush has recently stated a need to construct a stronger physical border with Mexico, and to increase the presence of law enforcement in the region. Along with that plan, there are considerations being made on how to deal with the millions of immigrants that have settled in the United States illegally. Some plans include ideas such as assessing fines on illegal immigrants and the companies that employ them to making it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally. Huge demonstrations were recently held throughout the country, including a rally of tens of thousands in Sacramento, calling for amnesty for immigrants that have made their home here.
This is a difficult topic to discuss. Although great arguments can be made for the United States to secure its borders, such as to prevent drug trafficking or for security from terrorists, it is hard to see how further securing one border will do enough to stop these threats to justify the price tag. The wall between Arizona and Sonora may be higher, but obviously a terrorist could come into the country on a plane, as the 9/11 bombers did, and drugs could come in by the container-full on ships, as port security does not check each container. These may not be likely scenarios, but they could, and therefore probably will, happen. Border security will help, but it will not stop everything.
However, there is great danger in not adding the human element to this equation. The United States has become a world power due to hundreds of years of immigration. Our strength is our diversity and tolerance for difference. Of the millions in this country illegally, many have settled into and become a valued part of our communities. Parents may be here illegally, taking care of their American-born children. Others are Senior Citizens, just looking to live out their days in the land of their families. Many take pride in this country, celebrating our holidays, cheering for hometown sports teams, or working hard to learn English to be "accepted".
The Central Valley continues to see the greatest concentration of immigrants in our agri-business. They continue a grand legacy of new Californians who started out by toiling in the fields, the hardest of jobs in the state. Over the decades, the language spoken among our grapes might change, the hand that picks our strawberries may be a different shade. Through it all, these are the hardest working of Californians. ValleyVue proudly takes the "naive" stance of calling for all of our residents to receive validation by our National leaders. Amnesty for immigrants.
Sadly, it seems this phenomenon has been around for decades, maybe first noticed in the 1930s, when California first "welcomed" a wave of agriculturally-trained settlers. Other movements to the state, like the Gold Rush or the draw of Hollywood on young people, have been able to withstand an overabundance of people to those professions because the people could easily redirect themselves to less dream-driven pursuits. Agriculture is a different kind of trade. It is an industry so foreign to the rest of the economy that when the government checks jobless rates, it only includes non-farm labor. Those that farm, it seems, are in it for the long haul, and are transitory in nature due to the seasonal requirements of landowners.
For hundreds of years, those that worked the farms generally do not own the land. Much of the labor for harvesting crops is seasonal. However, it is also essential. Especially for industrial farms, or corporations who own thousands of acres, labor must be plentiful at a specific moment in the growing cycle of the plant. Farmers need a guarantee that a large group of people will be ready when the time comes to pick. They also will not need them long-term, and will not be able to provide for the laborers after the crops have been harvested.
Back to the 1930s... This was the era of the Dust Bowl. Due to unsustainable agricultural practices in the Midwestern United States causing disastrous wind erosion, as well as the financing disasters of the Great Depression, thousands of agricultural families lost their farms and moved to California. The Golden State was reportedly continuing to thrive agriculturally. When they arrived, they became the state's migrant farm workers, in some cases supplanting minority groups that had already filled this niche.
This group of Americans also faced the hatred of other Americans already settled in California. The "Okies", a derogatory name used for these laborers, were sometimes banned from entering certain California counties, and often faced discrimination and bullying by officials and landowners. The farms, as usual, required labor at specific times, and then sent many away without work. Any attempts at labor organization were thwarted as farm owners simply hired other Dust Bowl refugees to fill strikers' positions.
These practices continued through the 20th century, even after farm laborers again became immigrants from other countries, primarily Mexico. Cesar Chavez, now one of the most honored of Californians, helped organize farm labor through the United Farm Workers union. Today, while the job is still not envied by most Californians, higher wages are paid, and UFW continues its work to improve safety standards and job security for laborers.
A simple understanding of this history is essential to considering the Central Valley's place in the current immigration debate being held on Capitol Hill. President Bush has recently stated a need to construct a stronger physical border with Mexico, and to increase the presence of law enforcement in the region. Along with that plan, there are considerations being made on how to deal with the millions of immigrants that have settled in the United States illegally. Some plans include ideas such as assessing fines on illegal immigrants and the companies that employ them to making it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally. Huge demonstrations were recently held throughout the country, including a rally of tens of thousands in Sacramento, calling for amnesty for immigrants that have made their home here.
This is a difficult topic to discuss. Although great arguments can be made for the United States to secure its borders, such as to prevent drug trafficking or for security from terrorists, it is hard to see how further securing one border will do enough to stop these threats to justify the price tag. The wall between Arizona and Sonora may be higher, but obviously a terrorist could come into the country on a plane, as the 9/11 bombers did, and drugs could come in by the container-full on ships, as port security does not check each container. These may not be likely scenarios, but they could, and therefore probably will, happen. Border security will help, but it will not stop everything.
However, there is great danger in not adding the human element to this equation. The United States has become a world power due to hundreds of years of immigration. Our strength is our diversity and tolerance for difference. Of the millions in this country illegally, many have settled into and become a valued part of our communities. Parents may be here illegally, taking care of their American-born children. Others are Senior Citizens, just looking to live out their days in the land of their families. Many take pride in this country, celebrating our holidays, cheering for hometown sports teams, or working hard to learn English to be "accepted".
The Central Valley continues to see the greatest concentration of immigrants in our agri-business. They continue a grand legacy of new Californians who started out by toiling in the fields, the hardest of jobs in the state. Over the decades, the language spoken among our grapes might change, the hand that picks our strawberries may be a different shade. Through it all, these are the hardest working of Californians. ValleyVue proudly takes the "naive" stance of calling for all of our residents to receive validation by our National leaders. Amnesty for immigrants.
