Our country runs on the sweat of undocumented workers...
- Thomas Tittmann
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The next video is part of the Ohio State University article that follows the video link.
[from the article link that follows] The relationship between immigration and agriculture in the United States is deeply intertwined. For centuries, immigrant labor has been a vital component of American farming, supporting everything from fruit picking and vegetable harvesting to dairy farming and meat processing. However, recent shifts in immigration policy have created significant ripple effects throughout the agricultural sector, disrupting labor supply chains, inflating operational costs, and even jeopardizing the nation’s food security.
The U.S. agricultural sector depends heavily on immigrant labor—especially undocumented and seasonal workers. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than half of all hired farmworkers in the United States are unauthorized immigrants. These individuals are often engaged in physically demanding tasks such as picking strawberries, milking cows, and harvesting lettuce—jobs that are notoriously difficult to fill with domestic workers alone. Without this labor force, many farms would struggle to function effectively.
Farmers argue that even when they attempt to hire U.S.-born workers, few are willing to accept the grueling, low-wage conditions typical in agricultural settings. As a result, the industry has relied on a consistent influx of immigrant workers, both legal and undocumented, to keep operations running. When immigration policies tighten or enforcement becomes more aggressive, the available labor pool shrinks. This shortage has tangible consequences: crops rot in the fields, dairy farms reduce production, and food prices rise across the board.
[from the article link that follows] Now in Trump’s second term, American employers can’t afford to pretend these workers don’t exist. Burying our heads in the sand won’t protect undocumented workers or the employers who will continue to rely on their labor, regardless of federal policy.
From the construction site in California, to factory in Georgia, to the elder care facility in Maine, undocumented workers are already here, already contributing, and already holding up critical sectors of our economy. They’re not waiting in the wings to be added to the workforce—they are the workforce. What they lack is not motivation or merit. What they lack is safety in their workplaces.
This is where business leaders come in. Because when a system benefits from someone’s labor while denying them protection, that’s not just an ethical failure, it’s an operational liability. If you say you value inclusion, now is the moment to prove it. And if you say you believe in growing the American economy, now is the moment to prove it. Not with a statement, but with infrastructure which intentionally protects your most vulnerable workers, whether they have disclosed their immigration status or not.
Here is how employers could support undocumented workers right now:
Create a silent support fund
Train managers to lead without needing proof
Expand emergency leave policies
Redefine inclusion to include immigration justice
See article for details.
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NOW is the time for the ethical treatment of undocumented workers
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