Thread: Plucking at the tree of opportunity

www.gjsentinel.com


Plucking at the tree of opportunity


Monday, September 05, 2005

By BOB KRETSCHMAN

The Daily Sentinel


When peaches and other fruit ripens in Grand Valley orchards, growers say they’ll hire just about anyone who will pick it.

Most of the workers they hire are migrants from Mexico and Central America.

Growers say migrant workers supply much-needed labor during the critical weeks each summer when fruit is ready for harvest, and many of those workers are hired through a system that doesn’t ensure whether they’re in the United States legally.

“The migrant workers we have, you take their documentation and you don’t ask any questions,� said grower Brant Harrison of Palisade.

“The feds tell us 80 percent of (the agricultural) workforce is illegal,� said Bruce Talbott of Talbott Farms on East Orchard Mesa.

Talbott said that when he hires a migrant worker, he needs to see two documents for that person â€â€

added to the homepage with a note

NOTE: We are seeing more and more atricles that lead the reader to the false conclusion that a Guest Worker Program is the answer to the problem.

Guest Worker PR Machine! 80% of Ag workers are illegal!

http://www.alipac.us/article686.html

We do not need a guest worker program on top of the federal government’s H-2A program. Any guest worker (amnesty) program would be abused.

However, I do agree with the article that American's do not want these field labor jobs. These jobs are the only ones that I can think of really that American's don't want.

In northern San Diego we have a problem with migrant encampments. The farmers are not providing housing for them as they do in other parts of the country. It's really disgusting how they treat these migrants.

What we have in the canyons is a shanty town just like they have in Mexico and South America. There are about 500 people living in this canyon. Some work in the fields and others work construction and hang out in day labor pickup spots. Here are some pictures I took last week.



The other problem here is prostitution. Girls are brought in from Mexico and taken to migrant camps for the men. Many of the girls are under age, some as young as 13 and 14. We found an area near this camp where they bring the girls. The ground was covered in condoms and women's undergarments were hanging in the trees.


As illegal immigration worsens I'm sure we'll see these shanty towns springing up all over America. Welcome to the third world.

You can view the rest of my photo's here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewatchdog/sets/857927/

Those are some excellent pictures. Where exactly is this one at? I think I have an idea where some illegals are camping out along the San Luis Rey river in San Diego county. I saw a male Mexican crossing the street and going into some thick brush with a bag of groceries yesterday. Pretty sure he was probably living along the river bed. There are a lot of places they can camp out with little detection by the general public. Even when they are discovered and reported the authorities will do nothing about it.

These pictures were taken in Mcgonigle canyon in Rancho Penasquitos, CA. There are many of these encampments in nearby canyons and the authorities are well aware of their presence.

I'm looking into all of this for the documentary I'm making on illegal immigration. It's very interesting stuff. The guide who took me through there was very knowledgeable. I've got some amazing footage and I'll be returning soon.