The Finger Lakes region is rich in agriculture and many of the crops require intense physical labor during the harvest. Take cabbage, for example.
I know you’ve seen these cabbage fields as you head to the family cottage or take the kids camping.
The town of Phelps in Ontario County is known as the Sauerkraut Capital of the World. Maybe you’ve been to the annual festival.
New York State is third in the nation in the business of growing cabbage.
But who picks all that cabbage?
Lucky for us, there are immigrants willing to do this seasonal, back-breaking work. Unfortunately, not all such workers have proper documentation, and in today’s political climate, that creates stress for the whole family.
Family Preparedness Clinics are being offered in rural settings around Rochester through the partnership of Volunteer Legal Services Project, Inc., the Worker Justice Center of New York (WJCNY), and the Cornell University Farmworker Program.
The Jan. 25, 2017 executive order signed by President Donald Trump significantly changed the enforcement priorities for removal of undocumented immigrants. The danger of deportation reaches rural families where one parent may be undocumented, and detention and deportation may occur because of a routine traffic stop.
“An undocumented working parent may be detained while innocently being a passenger in a car that was stopped for an expired registration,” explained VLSP staff attorney Vasanthi Pillai. “His or her children are U.S. citizens, and the family may suddenly be torn apart.”
Volunteer attorneys meet with families at the Family Preparedness Clinics to talk about procedures for legal permanent residence, naturalization, and related matters, along with setting up parental designation documentation appointing a third party to provide basic child care in their absence. Many of the families also seek the appointment of a power of attorney so their financial affairs can be managed in the event they are suddenly detained or deported.
Four clinics were held between April and June in Elba, Sodus, Brockport and Geneseo. VLSP Executive Director Sheila Gaddis created the program in response to a significant need in our agriculturally rich region. More clinics are being scheduled.
The threat of deportation carries with it the potential consequences of the U.S.-born children being deported along with the parent simply because the family has no other plan in place.
Farm owners also worry about immigration enforcement as most crops have a short window for harvest – four to six weeks – and having workers detained or deported can mean crops rot in the field.
So next time you have a side of coleslaw or a serving of sauerkraut, I hope you’ll remember the people that helped put that cabbage on your plate and say a little prayer for their safekeeping.