VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KGTV) — A day in the fields of California's Central Coast reveals the harsh reality of agricultural labor amid increased immigration enforcement, with workers fearing detention while performing essential jobs, they say, few Americans want.
Farmworker Benito spends his days harvesting cilantro in Ventura County, California, starting before sunrise and working through what he calls backbreaking conditions for modest pay. His work is now shadowed by fear after federal immigration agents detained about 40 workers at a nearby farm in early June.
Benito spoke with ABC 10News reporter Laura Acevedo for an interview, conducted in Spanish. His quotes in this article have been translated.
"No one works in peace anymore," Benito said.
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Benito's day begins around 5:30 a.m., as his wife prepares homemade tortillas and packs his lunch for the long workday ahead. By 6 a.m., he's in the field, ready to harvest cilantro.
"I have constant pain in my back, knees and feet from being bent over for hours at a time," Benito said.
The work is methodical and physically demanding. Benito demonstrated how they cut, tie, and pack the cilantro, one bushel at a time. Thirty bushels fit into a box, and he earns $1 for every box packed. On a good day, that's about 150 to 200 boxes.
Since workers are paid based on the amount they harvest, Benito couldn't stop working for a formal interview. The interview was conducted as he picked cilantro nonstop.
Benito's wife works alongside him in the fields. The day ABC 10News did the story was her first day back to work in 20 days. She had stayed home out of fear since the nearby immigration raid.
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The crew started the day with four workers and a target of 700 boxes to fill an order. By afternoon, two additional workers joined to help meet the quota. Despite a minor setback when Benito cut his finger and had to tend to the wound briefly, the team packed a total of 794 boxes in roughly 10 hours of work.
"Crops like this cilantro would rot if workers continued to be detained or deported," Benito said. "I don't think everyday Americans are interested in doing this type of work for such little pay."
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