May 30th continued

Shop Camp/Seaside Camp--5:30(Ana, Joe, Faith, and Nick): Approximately 100 migrant workers arrived on Sunday afternoon from Glenside, Georgia. They have been picking Vidalia onions for the past several weeks. Every one of these workers if from the Mexican state of Hidalgo have an H2A Visa. The following info about the H-2A visa was taken from wikipedia:

An H-2A visa allows a foreign national entry into the U.S. for temporary or seasonal agricultural work. There are several requirements of the employer in regards to this visa. The H-2A temporary agricultural program establishes a means for agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.[1] Currently in the United States there are about 30,000 temporary agricultural workers under this visa program. All of these workers are supposed to be covered by U.S. wage laws, workers' compensation and other standards.

Employers anticipating a shortage of agricultural workers and in need must apply at least 45 days before certification is necessary. This includes a requirement of an active effort, including newspaper and radio advertising, to recruit U.S. workers in areas of expected labor supply. Such recruitment must be at least equivalent to that conducted by non-H-2A agricultural employers in the same or similar crops and area. The employer must agree to give preference and engage in active recruitment of U.S. workers. The H-2A certification is valid for up to 364 days. As temporary or seasonal agricultural employment, the work is performed during certain seasons of the year or for a limited time period of less than one year when the employer can show that the need for the foreign worker is truly temporary.

This time instead of knocking door-to-door all of the men came to us eager to sign up for the OSY program. For each man who was under the age of 22, we had to tell three or four that they did not qualify for the class materials that we give to OSY. However, we do reassure them that our classes are open to all workers in the camps. Sometimes the older workers turn out to be great role models for the younger students in the class.

They were glad to know that the van from the health clinic (www.scphca.org/centers/jasper.htm) would begin picking up patients beginning on Tuesday night at 5:30. Once again Joel would be the driver.

From this rather peaceful scene, we went to Little Haitian Camp on Lands End Road. We encountered approximately 100 men who seemed much more desperate than than their counterparts at Seaside Camp. In less than 2 hours we signed up 37 OSY. As we passed out their bags, the non-OSY workers became very troubled that they were not going to receive anything. Although we assured them that they could attend class, they appeared to be very troubled that they were being left out. Furthermore, as we passed out some donated clothing, we encountered pushing and shoving for the first time in my 4 years. I can only describe the situation as overwhelming at times.

The Haitian Camp is quite isolated and the men had not worked all day. We seemed to provide the only diversion they had all day. Many of the workers did express a deep desire to take OSY classes and to improve their English skills. I also found it quite moving that several men insisted that we take some Vidalia onions as a thank-you for our efforts. We will on Tuesday night to teach a lesson on maps and location words.

May 30, 2011

Just finished a cookout with the family and getting ready to head out to the camps on Memorial Day. This is Nick's first day back for the season as a recruiter. He has been in Australia for the past 18 days. We should be busy tonight since we have heard that 250 migrant workers moved in on saturday.

This morning, I ran into Jesus, Brittany, Kimberley, and their mother Morelia in Walmart shopping for produce. I introduced them to Amy and as we said good by, Jesus said good-bye in perfect English. Morelia was so proud.

On the way back from Walmart, we stopped at CVS and picked up some photos I took of families and their children at On the way back from Walmart, we stopped at CVS and picked up some photos I took of families and their children at Paragon on Thursday. We will pass them out tonight.

May 26, 2011

Shop Camp-St. Helena Island Island: Ana, Faith, and I arrived at the camp at 5:30. We began by passing out clothes that had been donated by various people in the community over the past few days. The workers were just getting pack from the tomato fields where they had been tying up plants all day, getting ready for the harvest in the next week or so. Because they plants were well over human height at this point, the men were more exhausted than usual from working all day with their arms fully extended above their heads.

The enthusiasm they had during the previous class in which they sang an animated "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" was long gone. They were more interested in drink and lighthearted conversation about the day.

Fortunately, we met the crew leader for the camp Antonio Juarez. He told us that this Saturday, we could expect 250 pickers (almost all men) to arrive. Currently, they are picking Vidalia onions in Georgia. A week later he said we could expect an additional 100 more pickers. Right now the price being paid for a basket of tomatoes is fifty cents. He talked quite awhile about the high cost of bringing his workers to the US from Mexico. He said the average cost of fees and paperwork was about $800 per worker. Also, he said that it was important to treat his workers fairly because if they returned to Mexico saying they had been "robbed" by the crew leader, then he would have trouble putting a crew together next year.

According the Antonio, his men can make more in a few months of picking in the United States than they can in a full year of work in Mexico. If we didn't have this source of cheap labor, he couldn't imagine Americans paying $8-$10 dollars a pound for tomatoes.

Paragon Camp: We arrived at about 7:00. Some of the men had gone clamming that afternoon and harvested several dozen clams that they were eating raw with Tabasco sauce and fresh lime when we pulled up. They would eat their main meal after we completed our lesson.

With Ana leading the lesson, we worked on the English alphabet. After much practice, each man was asked to spell his first and last name out loud. This skill comes in handy when ELLs (English Language Learners) are asked for information at a medical facility or at a store while filling out money transfer slips. While the sound of the numbers "fifteen" and "fifty" are almost identical to the ELLs, they quickly learn there is a difference in meaning with regard to their hard-earned money.

There was uncertainty among the crew as to when this group of workers (about 30) would be leaving for Virginia. There was discussion of some family members continuing to head northward while other members would stay behind to pick tomatoes.

Enselmo and his wife are experiencing a situation that many migrants face as well. Their youngest child was born in the United States while their oldest son, age 8, continues to live with a grandmother in Mexico. The parents have not seen their first born in three years, the last time they had enough money to return to their homeland. By continuing their migrant work, they can support their immediate family and their extended family in the Chiapas.

On the other hand, they feel that their youngest child has a greater chance of success in life if he stays in the United States, especially with regard to education. Both parents, however, live in constant fear of deportation which means that families on both sides of the "Great Wall" will suffer. Although their child here is a US citizen, he would be forced to return with his parents if they were deported. If there were an American citizen or relative who agreed to take care of the child, he could remain here. But then the heartbreak of separated family members would continue once again. It's a challenging situation.