Despite making up just 1% of the nation’s farmland, California produces 70% of the country’s fruits and vegetables and 41% of all vegetable sales. The Central Valley alone contributes 8% of total U.S. agricultural value—making immigration raids in the region a direct threat to the national food supply.
If you think ICE raids in California only affect the Golden State, think again. The next time you wonder why your grocery bill jumped in Ohio, why lettuce is missing in Michigan, or why your kid’s school lunch in Florida swapped out fresh fruit for canned peaches, look west — and look at immigration enforcement.
California is the beating heart of American agriculture. It grows nearly half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables and produces 99% of crops like artichokes, almonds, and walnuts. The Central Valley alone feeds not just California but the entire country. And who picks those crops? Immigrants — many of them undocumented…