In the early hours of the day, Francisco, a father of two, is already hard at work. By 5 a.m., he’s in the cherry orchards near Washington’s Tri-Cities, where on a good day he can fill 75 buckets.
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It’s peak cherry season in the nation’s top-producing state, but there’s more fruit on the trees than there are hands to pick it.
“We’re a little behind in workers. People are scared about the current immigration situation,” Sergio Mejia, a supervisor with Baker Produce, said to Fox 13.
According to Mejia, the fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids is keeping workers away from the orchards, and harvesting is about two weeks behind.
There’s a real risk of fruit rotting on branches.
‘We’re afraid there won’t be anyone left to work’
Growers told Fox 13 they fear the labor shortage will spill into Washington’s other crops like apples, grapes, and hops.
“Workers who typically come from California aren’t here,” Mejia noted. Despite California’s own cherry season being shorter this year, he suspects fear is keeping many farmhands indoors and out of the fields.
“If people don’t show up, the fruit stays. It overripens and it can’t be picked,” said Mejia, who has spent 24 seasons among the trees. He now spends part of his day fielding desperate calls from growers begging for workers.
"Many families don’t want to leave their homes. Their fear is, ‘What happens to my family if I get caught?” he added.
Fear may have only deepened with renewed threats of immigration raids. The Trump administration recently reaffirmed plans to target farms, hotels, and restaurants.
“The fear is that people get more scared. Many are already leaving the U.S. We’re afraid there won’t be anyone left to work,” said Mejia.
This is not just a local crisis. As the largest producer of sweet cherries, Washington’s bottleneck could ripple across national supply chains, pushing up prices at grocery stores from coast to coast.
“We feed the world,” says Enrique Gastelum, CEO of Worker and Farm Labor Association (WAFLA), told Fox 13. “These are all perishable crops – cherries, hops, vineyards. Mother Nature’s not going to say, ‘Oh pause, hold up, we can wait to pick you tomorrow.’”
Desperate to save their crops, some growers are reportedly turning to emergency measures like investing in special tarps to shield fruit from the elements, buying time while they scramble for labor.
WAFLA told Fox 13 the stress is mounting. After five straight years of net losses, many in Washington’s farm community are on edge.
Widespread panic in farm communities
After briefly backtracking, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered ICE to continue raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants. The administration aims for 3,000 arrests per day.
That’s likely fueling widespread panic among workers. Over 30 were detained in Ventura County earlier this month.
Maureen McGuire, chief executive of the organization, told the Associated Press between 25% and 45% of farmworkers have stopped showing up for work since large-scale federal enforcement actions began this month.
“When our workforce is afraid, fields go unharvested, packinghouses fall behind, and market supply chains, from local grocery stores to national retailers, are affected,” McGuire said in a statement. “This impacts every American who eats.”
With the domestic labor pool drying up, U.S. growers may turn to the federal H-2A visa program to fill the gap with seasonal guest workers. But it is expensive for farmers, says the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“The visa program imposes thousands of dollars in application fees owed to multiple U.S. agencies, including the Departments of Labor (DOL), State and Homeland Security,” writes associate economist Samantha Ayoub. “In 2024, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service increased H-2A petition fees 65% to 267%. Minimum H-2A wages have increased 60% over the past decade.”
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Short-term consequences of a labor shortage could be unharvested crops, spiking grocery prices, and rising wage inflation for essential work.
But the long-term risks are scarier. Smaller family farms could fold under labor and legal costs. The U.S. might shift to fewer, more automated farms. Crop diversity and food security could also decline.
“Without these employees, crops would go unharvested, rural businesses would suffer and food prices could rise for families across the country. This is not just a farm issue, it’s a food security issue, an economic issue and a community issue.” said Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau.
Mejia is calling for federal action, not just fear. He’s hoping for an amnesty like Reagan’s in 1986 and encouraged farmworkers to hold on.
He said, “Keep fighting for the American dream. It’s not a quick one, but step by step it will come true.”
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
