California – For California’s $59 billion agricultural economy, the consequences of ICE raids on produce farms could be severe. Roughly 70% of the state’s nearly one million farmworkers are undocumented, forming the backbone of a system that depends on labor few others are willing to do. These workers pick delicate, labor-intensive crops, such as strawberries and lettuce, which machines can’t easily harvest. When immigration raids disrupt these communities, the cracks spread beyond the fields: packing plants run at half capacity, transportation slows, and even local restaurants and repair shops see business dry up.
Farms in Ventura County, a region that generates over $1.6 billion in annual crop sales, are now reporting that as much as 45% of their workforce is gone. It is not only those taken into custody but also workers who fear leaving their homes, regardless of their legal status. Fear does not pause to check documentation. The result is a quiet, hollowed-out landscape where once-busy fields now stand still.
The ripples go further than California. The state provides more than a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruits and nuts. When its harvests fall behind, produce prices can spike nationwide. Economists warn that shoppers may soon see double-digit price increases, especially for crops that cannot be stockpiled or sourced elsewhere…