Action Alerts

Communities across the country, including ours, urgently need legislation that recognizes the dignity of immigrants and their contributions to our society and economy. We need your help in moving our representatives to pass two bills this year, AgJOBS and the DREAM Act.

Farm workers are an integral part of our agricultural economy. Their labor allows companies to provide consumers with cheap crops that we enjoy in everything from fast food to grocery stores.

Many farm workers are undocumented immigrants who immigrated to the U.S. to escape poverty in their home countries.  They came in search of jobs and hoping for a better life. It is estimated that more than half of the 2 to 3 million farm workers in the U.S. are undocumented immigrants.



While right-wing talk hosts would have you think otherwise, our government currently provides absolutely no way for low-wage workers to immigrate legally and fill the agricultural jobs that U.S. workers are not willing to do. Once they are here, the only hope farm workers have to adjust their immigration status is to have an immediate family member who is a U.S. citizen sponsor them.

It is important to provide a pathway to citizenship for farm workers because our lives and economy depend on their labor. Most farm workers live in isolated areas, and in many occasions are victims of many abuses, including but not limited to exposure to pesticides, wage theft, sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse, unsanitary living and working conditions and in the worst cases modern day slavery. Many times, farm workers are scared of reporting these situations because they fear deportation and separation from their families.



As the government implements more programs in which local law enforcement collaborate with federal immigration enforcement, fear will only increase. These “enforcement-only” policies can be seen in Arizona, and in states and counties around the country, including our own, here in Florida.  In April, Orange County, where we live, adopted the ICE program “Secure Communities.” ICE claims that the program targets “dangerous criminal aliens.” But in practice, it allows the Orange County jail to initiate deportation for any undocumented immigrant who was arrested for any reason, and before they have even had a trial.

"Enforcement-only" programs are not successful in curbing immigration because they do not address the root causes of migration, which include U.S. trade policy, and the economic exploitation of poor countries by wealthy countries and multinational corporations. However, ICE’s programs are successful in terrorizing farm workers and other immigrant communities, and making them even more vulnerable to abuse.



In addition to these hardships, young people in farm worker communities face specific obstacles. The dropout rate for farm worker youth, and specially from children from migrant worker families, is the lowest of any group in the country and among all farm workers the median highest grade completed is 8th grade.

As we know, inadequate education limits the potential of better jobs for farm workers and their families and contributes to the system of oppression of which they are victims. For undocumented young people, a bleak situation is made worse by the fact that colleges charge international tuition rates for students without papers, and they are not eligible for government loans or scholarships. Every year, the 65,000 undocumented students who do graduate from U.S. high schools find themselves trapped with little hope to continue their education.



While comprehensive immigration reform is not expected to pass this year, there are two standalone bills on the table that will make a difference for undocumented young people and farm workers: AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. These bills give young immigrants and farm worker families the opportunity to participate fully in their communities.

AgJOBS is a bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for the millions of farm workers who handpick our fruits and vegetables in the United States. AgJOBS would provide a legal, stable labor supply for the agricultural industries while recognizing the importance of farm workers and their contribution to our economy and our society. This bill would bring undocumented farm workers out of the shadows and give them a pathway to citizenship through continued agricultural work. The bill allows families to remain together by providing status adjustment for their spouses and minor children. It will also add protections for farm workers who come to work in the U.S. with a temporary agricultural guest work visa, the H-2A visa.



The DREAM Act is a bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth who enlist in the military or attend college for two years. Minors who have entered the country before the age of 16 and who have lived in the county continuously for five years would be eligible to apply for residency under this law. More importantly this bill provides hope. Without a pathway to citizenship, high school students are faced with the reality of a life in the fields, or other low-wage jobs, after graduation. Many undocumented students feel that the DREAM Act is an opportunity for them to pursue their studies and contribute fully to their communities.

The Orlando and DeLand YAYA chapters have been lobbying our local representatives for months, asking them to support both AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. We have visited their offices, collected hundreds of petitions, flooded their phones, joined in marches, and held rallies. While Senator Nelson is co-sponsoring both bills, our other Florida senator, George LeMieux, is still withholding his support.



These two bills are our last opportunity for reform this year, and we need the support of everyone in our communities to pressure Senator LeMieux and other representatives to voice their support. We hope that you will open your heart to farm worker issues and that you will support us in this campaign to help farm workers and their families have a better life.

Farm workers are the unseen hand at every restaurant and dinner table. Getting involved is simple and rewarding. Attending rallies, staying informed, talking with family and friends--these are the small tasks that we all can do for those who work from dawn till dusk to provide us with food.

James Quill
Orlando YAYA



Take Action!

Contact your representative in the House and Senate. Ask if he or she is supporting AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. If not, urge them to co-sponsor the bills and tell them why!

We encourage you to contact your representative every day. Your call will go to a staff person or message machine. You can say, “I am calling to urge Senator/Congress person_______________ to co-sponsor AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. S/he needs to recognize the contributions of farm workers and young immigrants in our economy and in our communities by supporting these bills.”

You can look up your Senator's information here.
You can look up your Congress person's information here.

Thank you for taking action to support farm workers!

Join the Alliance of Active Women and the National Farm Worker Ministry to bring justice to the fields! Sponsor a soccer player for our fundraising game between farm workers and supporters!

The National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM) has partnered with the Alliance of Active Women (AMA) to address the issues faced by women in the fields. AMA is an organization of farm worker women who are fighting to improve the safety, well being, and health of their community in Seville, Florida.

AMA and NFWM are developing leadership and empowerment amongst AMA members through trainings where the women are learning the organizing skills necessary to keep on transforming their lives. We believe that empowering farm workers to organize in their communities is the only solution to the issues they face in their daily lives.

One of these issues is the the health and reproductive risks faced by women who work in the fields, most of whom lack access to health care, adequate child care, and who are routinely exposed to pesticides. AMA and NFWM are currently developing workshops to educate workers about these risks and to encourage them to come up with solutions.

We urgently need your help! On August 15th, 2010, AMA and NFWM will host a soccer game between their supporters and farm worker women from the Volusia County area. This fundraiser soccer game will support the work of AMA and NFWM, strengthen the relationships between communities and promote a healthy lifestyle for the workers.

Please support out work! We are counting on you!


 Juana                    Felipa                   Aide                    Yaritza


Jeniffer                 Brenda                Minerva              Rosa


  Yesenia                Antonia               Severa                 Aleida


Maria                   Reyna               Esperanza

Please help us continue our work to bring justice and equality to our nation’s farm workers. Sponsor one of the thirty players that will donate their time and talent to hit the fields for justice!

In these harsh economic times your sponsorship is fundamental to continue our work. Join us in this effort to bring supporters and farm worker communities together through soccer while at the same time raising funds to support our work. We are counting on your generosity. Please sponsor a player by making an on-line donation by August 14th, 2010. Our lives depend on farm workers and their labor. Show them your gratitude today!