A conversation with one of our farmer/writers on how immigration enforcement is playing out in Minneapolis and its effect on farms with Sam Oschwald Tilton

In this bonus episode of the Growing for Market Podcast, we hear from long-time GFM writer, farmer and Minneapolis resident Sam Oschwald Tilton about how immigration enforcement is playing out in Minneapolis. In an industry with an estimated 40% of workers undocumented, the way immigration laws are enforced probably has a bigger impact on farming than any other industry. Many farmworkers with legal status- for example those on H-2A, refugee, asylum or H-2B visas- have been detained in the current immigration enforcement.

The fact that even documented workers are being detained is disrupting both farms and families as workers wonder if their documentation can be relied upon and farm employers wonder if their employees will show up for work. We connected two articles from Growing for Market Magazine about the H-2A visa process below as both a resource for farmers and an example for how the expansion of the guestworker program could provide a framework for foreign-born workers to legally meet the demand for farmworkers in the United States.

Related articles:

Article: Demystifying the H-2A program from Growing for Market Magazine

Article: Navigating the H-2A guestworker visa program from Growing for Market Magazine