Fernando Echevarria: Immigrants, farmers should be on same side of immigration issue
There is no easy solution to complex immigration issues that face our farming communities. For decades, farm labor has been performed by mostly undocumented workers because few people want to get up early and work in the scorching heat. It continues because not too many farmers want to take on astronomical debt to purchase robotic machinery. So farmers and immigrants have formed alliances that are etched in stone. Generations having built successful ranches for future generations to thrive.
The demands on agribusiness, with its emphasis on preventing world hunger, is a national security issue. Aggressive lobbying is long overdue. Washington needs to be educated as we continue to fight for growth in Central Valley Communities.
Fernando Echevarria, Merced
This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Fernando Echevarria: Immigrants, farmers should be on same side of immigration issue."