- cross-posted to:
- bakersfield
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- bakersfield
- [email protected]
Around 75% of immigrant farm workers in Bakersfield, California, ditched their shifts after Trump ramped up his threats by removing protections against ICE raids in “sensitive areas,” including schools and workplaces.
Howdy, a reminder that we live in a market economy. What will happen is that if no one shows up for work at the wage offered to illegal workers, gradually, the rates offered will increase until someone shows. You’ll notice America has no shortage of other classes of workers, such as sewer maintenance engineer or garbage collector. The reason is those jobs were never held by illegal workers. Will produce be as cheap as it was before? No, but then again it should not be a fundamental part of our economy to employ illegal workers. Either reform immigration law to allow for migrant workers or get rid of them. This weird middle-ground where we tolerate illegal employment in exchange for subsidized prices for produce is ridiculous. If we wouldn’t have allowed this in the first place, the problem would not be so hard to solve today.
There are lots of legal migrant workers. One of the many problems with these mass deportations is that even legal immigrants, maybe even citizens, have to be afraid to show up.
The question is what percentage of these workers are undocumented? I don’t recall reading any actual numbers.
And to spread the icing on this shit-cake, I do remember reading months ago the claim that most illegals are people overstaying a work or student visa. Are we demonizing these people for nothing?
That’s covered in the article:
Apparently I replied before finishing reading - gotta leave that redditism behind ….
So yeah, an estimated 42%, which is significant. However 75% didn’t show for work because of fear. How can they not recognize themselves as the bigger problem?
Not sure what you mean, who do you mean by “they” and bigger problem?
They == people starting ICE raids. Bigger problem == disrupt the economy + terrorize 33% of the workforce who are legally working
Thanks for clarifying. I’m not sure they care too much about its effect on the economy, but terrorizing them, even the legally working, is definitely intentional and part of their strategy. They’ve openly talked about wanting to intimidate people into “self-deporting”.
I think most people agree with you, and I don’t really think anyone would say that hiring illegal workers to lower prices and pay them lower wages is a solution.
People are upset not because they can’t exploit illegal immigrants anymore, but because the solution should’ve been to provide the working immigrants with worker protections and easier paths to citizenship (which you suggested something similar). Instead they’re attempting to suddenly and forcefully deport all of them.
I’ve been in discussions about this news for quite a bit and it absolutely shocks me how many people are totally OK with the status quo, as long as they get cheap food.
That was fast! You people are already blaming someone else for this shitshow.