The stories of two farmworkers in the Salinas Valley paint a realistic portrayal of the people who contribute the most to United States agriculture. Peligro has not seen his mother since his wedding three years ago. Despite having a visa to legally visit the United States, his mother is fearful to enter under the current political climate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that half of the current farmworkers are undocumented, a number that is particularly higher in California.
As the Trump administration continues its mass deportation efforts, undocumented farmworkers are fearful, as this summer ICE agents have raided farms, factories, and courthouses. Many of these farmworkers are locking themselves down in an attempt to avoid ICE raids and deportation. Peligro said, "Do you think Americans will do this work? If they do, they won't do it for $17 an hour. It's really hard work."
NatureSweet, a San Antonio-based produce company, is working to honor these farmers' hard work. This June, the "Associates Under the Label" campaign went viral. This campaign, which has been ongoing since 2018, highlights Mexican farmworkers by offering a QR code that can be scanned for the consumer to see a sketch, video interview, and the name of the worker.
In Chicago, Dion Dawson has created Dion's Chicago Dream, a non-profit that helps address food injustice. Not only does it effectively use technology to distribute fresh produce, but it has also created more than 50 jobs for those in the communities they deliver to. Dion purchases from Black farmers who have been an integral part of United States agriculture but are also shut out from profiting from the agricultural industry they built. Dion states, "Only 2% of farms are Black-owned and even less have access to large-scale procurement pipelines."