Beyond the ICE Debate: What the Farm Bureau Can Do for Farmworkers Now

A week ago, I published an essay questioning why the Sonoma County Farm Bureau decided to use its platform to support Sheriff Eddie Engram’s policy of limited information-sharing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I asked whether there was evidence that the policy addressed a significant public-safety problem involving undocumented immigrants in Sonoma County. I also questioned why an agricultural organization so dependent on immigrant labor had chosen to take a public stand on this particular immigration issue.

Since then, a Sept. 5 article in The Press Democrat has added important voices to the conversation.

Farmworkers are talking about fear.

Farmers are talking about workers who are afraid.

And research conducted in partnership with the California Farm Bureau itself shows that immigration enforcement is already disrupting agriculture — sometimes without an ICE agent ever setting foot on a farm.

This raises a new question that might be more useful than arguing over the Farm Bureau’s stance on the sheriff’s policy.

What can the Farm Bureau do to support farmworkers and their families right now?

It does not need to reverse its position on Sheriff Engram’s policy to answer that question.

And people don't need to agree on federal immigration policies to see that fear and uncertainty are impacting Sonoma County's agriculture.

Listen to What Workers and Farmers Are Saying

The Sept. 5 Press Democrat article explored the increasing conflict between immigrant advocates and the Farm Bureau.

One farmworker, identified as Sandra, directly challenged the organization to consider worker safety and well-being as part of protecting agricultural businesses.

Just as important, the newspaper heard similar concerns from farmers.

Wendy Krupnick, president of the Sonoma County chapter of Community Alliance with Family Farmers, said growers reached out to the organization after immigration enforcement increased. Their main concern was practical: how to protect frightened workers.

Will Holloway of Longer Table Farms raised another concern: if broader immigration enforcement is implemented in Sonoma County, workers may be too afraid to report to work, no matter their citizenship or immigration status.

Those voices matter because this is no longer simply a disagreement between immigrant-rights activists and the Farm Bureau.

Employers are worried, too.

And data supports their concern.

The Farm Bureau’s Own Research Shows the Impact of Fear

Earlier this year, researchers from Michigan State University and the California Farm Bureau published results from a statewide survey examining immigration enforcement and agricultural labor.

Direct enforcement at farms was rare.

The indirect effects were not.

Approximately one in four California farmers surveyed reported at least one negative consequence of immigration enforcement, including worker losses, operational disruptions, or increased anxiety and fear.

The findings are especially relevant to Sonoma County.

Among North Coast farmers, including California’s major wine-producing counties, 25% reported immigration enforcement-related labor losses — the highest percentage of any region examined. Yet none of those farmers reported a direct enforcement action or raid on their farm.

The losses were instead linked to off-farm enforcement, fear, and uncertainty.

Overall, about one-third of North Coast respondents reported experiencing some negative effects. Grape growers statewide were also among the agricultural sectors most affected.

That tells us something important.

Fear itself has become an agricultural issue.

That fear is not abstract to me. I came to this country from Mexico as a young child, and my family lived and worked on agricultural property. I remember immigration raids taking place and hiding in fear, even though I was a documented immigrant. As a child, I did not understand legal status or enforcement policy. I understood only that immigration officers were coming and that the adults around me were afraid.

More than six decades later, I see how fear of enforcement impacts not only individuals at risk of deportation but also their children, spouses, coworkers, employers, and communities. Reassurance can't rely solely on promises that enforcement is limited. Fear does not always follow the fine print of policy details.

And addressing agricultural problems is unquestionably within the Farm Bureau’s lane.

Start by Listening

The Farm Bureau does not need to become an immigration-rights organization.

It does not need to become a legal-services agency.

And it does not have to abandon its views about public safety.

But it could begin by listening.

The organization might hold private listening sessions with farmworkers, ideally led by trusted bilingual community groups and conducted without supervisors present.

Ask workers what they are experiencing.

What are they afraid of?

What information are they missing?

What are parents telling their children?

Do they know what to do if someone in their household is detained?

Do they trust the information circulating on social media?

And what would make them feel more secure at work?

An organization cannot reassure people until it understands what they need reassurance about.

Give Workers and Employers Reliable Information

The Farm Bureau already knows how to educate the agricultural community.

Its own reports show that it conducts dozens of safety and compliance training sessions each year, many in Spanish. In 2023-24, it offered 61 courses, including 29 in Spanish, serving more than 800 participants.

That infrastructure could be used immediately.

The Farm Bureau could offer bilingual workshops for employers and employees, covering workplace rights, employer duties, procedures during immigration enforcement actions, and how families can prepare for emergencies.

It would not be starting from scratch.

Farm Employers Labor Service, affiliated with the California Farm Bureau, already provides agricultural employers with immigration guidance. It offers information on workplace enforcement, employee rights, and employer responsibilities.

California law now also requires employers to provide workers with information about certain workplace and immigration-related rights and allows employees to designate emergency contacts who can be notified if they are detained during working hours.

The Sonoma County Farm Bureau could turn compliance into something more meaningful.

Instead of simply handing someone a required notice, help workers understand it.

Bring Trusted Partners to the Table

The Farm Bureau does not need to become an immigration law expert.

Sonoma County already has people doing that work.

VIDAS provides immigration legal services from Santa Rosa and other North Bay locations, including removal defense, family petitions, work authorization, naturalization, and assistance for survivors eligible for U and T visas or protections under the Violence Against Women Act.

Community Alliance with Family Farmers has created an immigration clearinghouse that provides family-preparedness materials, know-your-rights resources, and regional support for agricultural communities. Additionally, it manages Spanish-language communication networks for farmers.

Imagine the Farm Bureau inviting those organizations into the room.

Not to debate Sheriff Engram.

Not to decide who was right at the July protest.

But to help workers and employers prepare.

The Farm Bureau could sponsor legal information clinics, distribute vetted bilingual materials, help fund immigration legal services, and connect agricultural families with trusted organizations.

For families worried that a parent could suddenly disappear from the household, it could help promote family-preparedness plans that cover childcare, emergency contacts, important documents, and access to legal assistance.

Those are tangible acts of support.

Employers Need Help, Too

It is easy to frame this debate as employers on one side and workers on the other.

The new reporting suggests that is too simplistic.

Some growers worry about how enforcement might affect their employees and businesses.

They need guidance as well.

What should a vineyard manager do if immigration agents arrive on site?

Which areas of a farm are considered public spaces?

When is a judicial warrant required?

What information must an employer provide?

What information should not be volunteered?

Who should employees call?

Who should the employer call?

California Farm Bureau's statewide partners have already been educating agricultural employers about many of these questions. One Farm Bureau official said earlier this year that there had been strong demand for workshops explaining both employer and employee rights during immigration enforcement.

Sonoma County could make that training routine.

Preparation reduces panic.

And panic helps no one.

Say Clearly That Workers Matter

There’s an additional step that costs almost nothing.

The Farm Bureau could speak directly to farmworkers.

Not about ICE.

About them.

Its message could be simple:

As valued members of Sonoma County’s agricultural community, you and your families deserve respect, reliable information, safe working conditions, and access to support whenever needed.

That would not require the Farm Bureau to change its position on the sheriff’s policy.

It would require the organization to make its commitment to the people it describes as indispensable to agriculture equally visible.

The Farm Bureau already says that immigrant workers are trusted employees, neighbors, parents, and members of the community.

This is an opportunity to turn those words into action.

There Is Common Ground Here

The Farm Bureau and immigrant advocates may continue to disagree on the sheriff’s policy.

That disagreement may not be resolved soon.

But perhaps agreement on everything is unnecessary.

Farmers need a reliable workforce.

Workers need safe and stable employment.

Parents need to know what happens to their children if a family member is detained.

Employers need to understand the law.

Victims and witnesses need to feel safe contacting local police.

And Sonoma County agriculture needs people to show up every morning to prune vines, harvest grapes, care for livestock, and do the work the industry depends on.

Those interests overlap considerably.

The Farm Bureau’s stated mission is to protect and promote agriculture, educate the community, and unite people around agricultural interests. Its vision includes finding solutions to the problems facing farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

Worker fear and workforce instability align well with that mission.

Perhaps more comfortably than debating county jail notifications to ICE.

Why This Matters Today

My previous essay ended by saying that when an influential organization enters a debate as consequential as immigration enforcement, “common sense” should be the starting point of the conversation, not the end.

I still believe that.

However, the updated report suggests the discussion can now move to a more productive stage.

The Farm Bureau does not have to choose between supporting public safety and supporting immigrant workers.

It can train employers.

It can listen to workers.

It can provide reliable bilingual information.

It can connect families with attorneys and trusted community organizations.

It can help people prepare for emergencies.

It can support growers who are struggling to reassure frightened employees.

And it can make clear that farmworkers matter not only because Sonoma County needs their labor during harvest, but because they and their families are part of this community.

The debate over Sheriff Engram’s policy will continue.

Meanwhile, people are going to work tomorrow morning.

Some will drive through the darkness before sunrise, wondering whether the white vehicle behind them belongs to someone simply commuting to work or to federal immigration agents.

Some parents will leave children at home, wondering whether they will be there when those children return from school.

Some farmers will wonder whether enough workers will arrive to harvest a crop that cannot wait for politics to sort itself out.

Those are problems the Farm Bureau can help address now.

Leadership is not measured solely by the positions an organization is willing to defend.

Sometimes it is measured by what it does when the people who sustain its industry are afraid.