Ohio Farmwworkers: Working Hard, Away from Families, Poor Housing
Written by Bruce Goldstein Wednesday, 11 November 2009 10:22
The Sandusky, Ohio Register newspaper published a sensitive article on November 2, "Migrant workers struggle to survive, some with family states away," by Cory Frolik. It starts out focused on the housing in Huron County in north-central Ohio, quoting longtime legal aid lawyer Mark Heller as saying that much of the farmworker housing available is not only overcrowded but "primitive." It goes on to point out that many farmworkers travel from south Texas and south Florida to work in Ohio agriculture. A high percentage of them are originally from Mexico and send much of their earnings home to their families. In recent years, some who would migrate annually between the US and Mexico have been reluctant to go home to Mexico for fear of not being able to cross the border to return to the US. In many cases families have been split up for years.
There are solutions to these problems. The annual spate of stories at Thanksgiving time about the perpetual plight of farmworkers has begun. We need to use this information to educate the public and policymakers how to solve problems. And the most pressing need right now is major immigration reform: Congress needs to pass the AgJOBS bill. For more information on the bipartisan compromise on the AgJOBS farmworker immigration legislation, visit our AgJOBS page.
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