A highly visible ICE raid in Bakersfield, California earlier this month ruffled local immigrant communities and caused some farm workers to stay home in the fourth most productive agricultural county in the U.S. While nearly all undocumented workers went back to work within days, barring those who faced detainment or deportation, the highly-visible targeting of an agricultural powerhouse sent ripples through the nation.
President Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions of undocumented Americans would not only rip apart families, but target the population largely responsible for growing the nation’s food. Though Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, called food supply issues stemming from mass removals a “hypothetical” during her confirmation hearing, supply chain experts say the impacts are a certainty if mass deportations proceed.
