‘Mass deportations would disrupt the food chain’: Californians warn of ripple effect of Trump threat
‘Mass deportations would disrupt the food chain’: Californians warn of ripple effect of Trump threat
In 2023, state was nation’s sole producer of almonds, artichokes, figs, olives, pomegranates, raisins and walnuts
Summary
President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed mass deportation plan could severely impact California’s agriculture, where many of the farm workers are undocumented immigrants.
Experts warn that deporting these workers could disrupt the U.S. food supply chain, drive up prices, and increase reliance on imports.
California’s $24.7 billion agricultural industry heavily depends on immigrant labor for producing key crops like almonds, strawberries, and lettuce.
Farm worker advocates argue Trump’s immigration policies aim to discourage labor organizing by creating a more vulnerable workforce. California leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom, are taking steps to safeguard immigrant rights amid growing concerns.
Honestly I hope it happens.
Americans need to learn the very, very hard way that choices matter and you really need to pay attention before you cast your vote.
I have never been an accelerationist but have a feeling it may be our only path forward from here on.
Note- not a plan, will see how things go. Not terribly hopefully atm though.
Well it's a concept of a plan.
I'm not for millions of immigrants suffering just to teach conservatives a lesson.
Yeah, but the choice has already been made, sadly. It would be worse for conservatives to make the choice and be somehow rewarded.
If only there was some recent example of a western country doing something stupid like this that isolates its self from a major chunk of its agricultural workforce, and really screwing over its fresh food supply… (Politely clears throat in post-brexit British)
We don't even have to look at another country.... Alabama tried this already...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/14/alabama-immigration-law-workers
I understand why Democrats are falling back on arguments like this in the face of open facism, but it's fitting that this week is the the 86th anniversary of the kristallnacht pogrom. Somebody tell Hitler and Goebbels not to dehumanize and attack all those jews, because it would be, like, totally bad for the economy or something.
The point of Trump's rhetoric against immigrants is to dehumanize them and scapegoat them for all of the US's problems. We do the same here in Sweden, when our politicans say we're being "naiive", and we call immigrants disloyal to Sweden, welfare frausters, and terrorists. We accuse their culture of being anti-democratic, sexist, and promoting child abuse. We scapegoat them for our crime issues, antisemitism issues, and impoverished neighborhoods.
Just the first step in dehumanizing an entire 1M+ group of people.
This isn't "falling back," anyone who knows how agriculture works in the southwest US has been saying this for years. We have an absurdly huge military, we could secure our southern border at any time. But it's a fucking stupid idea in terms of cheap labor and relations with Mexico, and it would also mean republicans can't cry about the border anytime democrats are doing well in DC.
Even when the prices go up and it all goes to shit, it'll still be the immigrants' fault.
The reason the economic argument is the most prominent is because the economy was also the number one reason people voted for Herr Apfelsine.
And you thought grocery prices were high now.
I'm not sure how Trump benefits from this. Sure it causes chaos in the short term, but what's his actual goal here? Just to trade favors with Russia to keep himself out of prison?
The thing is he could do nothing, and then tell his supporters, "I did it! I deported all the bad guys!" And they would cheer and say, "Wow everything is better now. We love Trump."
When you've convinced the people of a fake problem you can just give them a fake solution. "I scared away the monster under your bed."
Even if it gets worse, it's not like his supporters will ever make the connection.
Unfortunately both the voter and the politician are lying, they aren't trying to solve a problem, they want actual ethnic clensing. They don't want to see brown kids of any status legal or otherwise around schools. All there efforts are trying to kill non whites faster and increase white birth rates, while ethnicity clensing non whites. If you aren't aware of this, welcome to the thing the USA has been doing since 1776.
He just wanted to avoid jail, that's how he benefits. He just wants to golf and not go to jail
And save his best friend musk from jail
what's his actual goal here?
To cause enough instability in all aspects of society that it affects everybody. Once everybody is in the same position, it's easier to convince them all of what (or who) to blame, and people's desperation will allow them to justify whatever atrocities are "necessary" to remedy their problems. Right now, it's "You're poor because of immigrants". Tomorrow, it'll be "You're in danger because of trans people". Soon, "You're being surveilled because of dissenters", "You're unhappy because of women", etc.
When they control the problems, they control the solutions. Disrupting the food chain is the fastest, most immediate way to grab society by the throat; we'll do anything before we go on a diet.
This one won't be for Trump, this will be for the cabinet members who are white nationalists.
That was my first thought when they talked about "mass deportations of illegals". Many areas of the American economy simply rely on cheap labour extracted from those refugees. They work on farms, in production, on construction sites, in logistics, and many other jobs Americans would not touch with a ten foot pole. Having to pay for food harvested only by vetted American Citizens will be a harsh lesson for all those idiots who voted Trump into office because they thought he would make food magically cheaper.
Wait, the president doesn't wake up and decide the price of bread every morning??
Woah, what are you going to tell me next, they also dont set inflation?
Instead of deporting illegals, why not make getting a citizenship eaiser? Or hell, a work visa??
The mass deportations will require internment camps to hold people until their trial is processed.
And what do you think will be done with the people in those camps? They'll put them to work! Except even cheaper than the starvation wages they were getting before, because it'll be pennies on the dollar like our other slave workforce of prisoners.
Welcome to America. Work sets you free.
If the farms are hiring people illegally to keep prices low then maybe it's good for that to come to an end. It sucks things will cost more but not paying a living wage and taking advantage of immigrants isn't ok.
Deporting people is also not what I want though so idk
These people should indeed be paid a livable wage, but that's only half the problem. If they're gone nobody will take their place. This is backbreaking work that your average American for good reason simply won't be willing to do.
Installing HVAC ducts in blistering hot attics is backbreaking work but people can be found to do that.
I wonder what those people get paid, and whether they have access to bathroom breaks, clean drinking water on the job, and a decent place to sleep at night?
Buy beans folks, canned or dried bulk. Stock up on some frozen fruit if possible too.
It's super depressing that in this post-empathy economy we care more about the crops than the people who pick them.
Good. Fuck the idiot racists that voted against their own interests.
Uh... This is California.
Didn't cali vote to keep
slavery, sorry, prison labour?California is suprisingly conservative outside of the cities. If you look at any election map, its usually red towards the farms and rural areas. It's just there's so many people in cities that it doesnt really matter on state level
Don't worry, there is always prison slaves. Merica!
So those farmers admit breaking the laws constantly, in an organised way and on large scale?
They are a mafia, aren't they?
No, they're Republicans