Presenter: Alexis Stinnett – Public Relations
Faculty Mentor(s): Corbett Upton
Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Rights of Humans
Agriculture has been and still is the foundation of our economy, and we rely on it to keep our country running. Even in today’s industrialized agriculture system we still see the need for labor in the fields for the backbreaking jobs that cannot yet be done by machines. It is not uncommon that these physically and mentally demanding jobs are typically occupied by undocumented immigrants, who make up about 50% of our work force. Researchers and historians have spent years looking at the history of farm labor in our country, and it is no surprise that in almost every instance it leads back to undocumented labor. Despite our society and economy’s dependence on undocumented workers, there are little to no regulations in place to protect or guarantee them the basic rights that other employees in different fields of work enjoy. The lack of rights and policy around agricultural labor allows for undocumented immigrants to be put in dangerous situations in the workplace as well as making it increasingly easy for them to be exploited. As our system has progressed, our policies and laws have not. There are a variety of social, economic, and political factors that prevent the federal government from passing the legislation that is needed to protect undocumented workers. Because of these factors that prevent the federal government from making the necessary changes, state governments must take initiative and prioritize passing policies to protect undocumented agricultural workers.