Untitled Document

The effect of Mexican immigrants might not be as prevalent in any other industry as it is in the agricultural industry. Seventy-seven percent of all crop workers are immigrants. Seventy-five percent of crop workers are specifically Mexican immigrants. The two percent that are not from Mexico are from other Latin-American countries. Mexican immigrants are crucial to the agriculture industry. The fact that there are so many of them willing to work in this industry allows the farmers to pay them less, hence keeping the price of produce lower. Their value cannot be understated, yet they still go over-looked and underappreciated. The average income for crop workers is between about $10,000 and $12,499. For many Mexican immigrants those numbers are cut in half. Many migrant workers send a large portion of their money back home to support their families, whom they had to leave behind in order to provide them with a better life. So not only are they dealing with the physical stress, but also the emotional stress of leaving their families behind.
Illegal immigration also plays a significant role in the agricultural industry, especially in the state of California. Economically, it is necessary to pay at least some workers below minimum wage to keep the price of produce down, yet they get attacked in the media for just being here. So on top of everything they have to deal with in terms of their work, they also need to deal with the constant possibility that they could be sent home to Mexico in the middle of the night.