Summary: a Tomato plantation in the United States is forcing its Mexican migrant farmworkers, dependent on the company's good graces for paychecks, VISA and a flight home, to remain in the fields...
Summary: a Tomato plantation in the United States is forcing its Mexican migrant farmworkers, dependent on the company's good graces for paychecks, VISA and a flight home, to remain in the fields to avoid Covid.
The guest workers have been prevented from all but carefully controlled trips to avoid contracting or spreading Covid-19. ‘I never expected to lose my freedom,’ said one.
“You’re practically a slave,” said another worker, Jesus, who like others interviewed for this article asked to use only a first or last name for fear of losing his job and, with it, his permission to work in the United States.
Several workers have quit before the end of their contract, forfeiting wages and an employer-paid flight back to Mexico. One of them, a field worker named Manuel, said he understood it was unlikely he would be asked back next year.
Summary: a Tomato plantation in the United States is forcing its Mexican migrant farmworkers, dependent on the company's good graces for paychecks, VISA and a flight home, to remain in the fields to avoid Covid.