YUMA, AZ — Long growing seasons, access to the Colorado River, and abundant sunlight all contribute to Yuma’s agricultural advantage. However, the crops don’t grow and get harvested on their own; access to labor south of the border also gives Yuma a leg up in the agriculture industry.
In a celery field in Yuma, just a few hundred feet away from the southern border, dozens of Mexican farm workers work to harvest the vegetables that will be on grocery store shelves in a couple of days. While Yuma has faced immigration issues, it also relies on migrant farm workers to power its local agriculture economy.
"It’s difficult work," Jose Aguilera, a farmworker, said. "You have to be strong to come and work the 10-12 hours every day.”
Working on the line, Alfonso Urena has been a farm worker for nearly a decade. He spends his days in these fields and then returns to Mexico at night to his wife and kids in San Luis Rio Colorado.
"We have to work as hard as we can, when we can, so that our families can live better," Urena said.
In all his years in the fields, he says he has never picked produce alongside an American worker.
“You can’t bring in H2A unless you can prove you can’t find domestic help,” Matt McGuire said. McGuire has been farming in the Yuma Valley for decades as the Chief Agriculture Officer for JV Smith Farms.
This is how Urena and the thousands of other migrant farm workers are here in Yuma. They're all working legally, making a minimum of $17 an hour, under an H2A Visa.
The visa allows Yuma farmers to hire temporary foreign workers to work in their fields when they can’t find Americans who want to do the job.
“The H2A worker, especially on the harvest side, is what makes it all possible," McGuire said.
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
Still, farming along the border isn’t easy. In Yuma during the peak of the local border crisis, migrants frequently were walking through fields after illegally crossing the border. The issues broke food safety protocols and hurt farmers' bottom lines.
"Think of it this way, I don’t think you would want me walking on top of your kitchen table," McGuire said. "They trample the crop, it hurts the yield, and the cost goes up."
Still, he says the benefits of being in the Yuma Valley far outweigh the challenges.
“We work hard to get people their vegetables. We keep costs as low as we can, and we take a lot of pride in what we produce and what we put out there," McGuire said.
Back in the celery field, the day's work continues. Amid the illegal immigration crackdown happening in the country, this legal work happening in Yuma’s produce fields so far goes on uninterrupted.
“Being here working legally is what we want. We are not doing anything wrong. We are here and work, and when the season is over, we are going back to Mexico," Urena said.
RELATED: New border policies lead to major decrease in illegal border crossings in Yuma
