My wife and I took a road trip during Christmas week to visit family in the San Francisco Bay Area. We decided to rent a car and take the northern route through northern Arizona and Utah.
Our journey would take us right through California’s great Central Valley, where almost three quarters of our nation’s vegetables and fruits are grown.
Most Americans are unaware that more than 85% of our produce is harvested by American migrant labor in the Central Valley. I specifically use the word “American,” because they are American citizens. A majority may be of Latino heritage, but they, too, are not immune from taxes. Other migrant workers that share the agricultural labor force are foreign nationals and are usually “green card” holders or guest workers. These laborers also pay taxes but reap no benefits due to the fact that they are not citizens. There are also countless illegals crossing the border searching for work, many under the age of 15.
What is rarely mentioned publicly is the fact that over a half million “American” migrant children work in agriculture. Every state in the U.S. has American youth working on farms, many of whom are under the age of 12. These kids sometimes work 14-hour days, others five to six hours per day, seven days a week. The youngest do not have Social Security cards but are allowed to work legally with the permission of their parents, some as young as 6 years. Many of these migrant families are barely surviving, so every able-bodied member of the...
In certain instances, it is evident that misinformation is created and disseminated on social media by exploiting sensitive issues and presenting unverified claims as factual events. Presented bel...