 |
Farm Worker
I have worked as a farm worker since 1981. I would cross
the bridge daily as an “American” since my sister
is a citizen and she would lend me her papers because I have
three kids and I needed to work. I would cross at midnight.
Sometimes, I would inject myself vitamin B to calm my nerves
because they would spend 2 to 3 hours interrogating and investigating
me in the offices at the bridge. But, since I knew my sister’s
personal information, they would believe those were my papers.
With time, I even became friends with one of the immigration
officers. They called him Kojak because he would always shave
his head and he was very mean. But, since I crossed at the
same time every day, he knew me. Then, I could cross without
problems. Every day it was the same.
At 12:00 AM, I had to help recruit workers. It didn’t
matter if they were men or women, documented or undocumented.
We had to fill two buses, each with 65 seats. In one bus,
they would carry documented people only, and in the other,
everybody who didn’t have papers, because there was
an immigration checkpoint before the ranch. Sometimes, we
were lucky and they were not checking, then we would all make
it to Hatch to harvest chile. The farm manager there was very
nice and he would let the people that would make it stay there.
He would be happy and used to say that he had a small Ciudad
Juarez. Workers would stay at the farm for months eating grilled
chiles with salt and tortillas. Sometimes immigration officers
would come to the fields. We would hide in between the crops,
but many would get caught. Sometimes we would get all bitten
by mosquitoes and we would get deported to México,
but we would come back and not give up.
Then, the amnesty law passed in 1986 and many of us got our
papers so we could work without fear. Sometimes we would stay
under bridges. We would look for a river nearby so that we
could bathe and cook. We were like butterflies. One day we
would be in Hatch harvesting chile and the next day we would
be in a different farm planting onions. Once the agricultural
season was over, we would thank god. Sometimes, we couldn’t
even sit down.
When the planting process was over, we would have to go into
the crops to pick the vegetables, even if they had just been
fumigated. Because of that, many of us have cancer caused
by the fertilizers. I got cancer in 1995. Doctors were able
to stop it, but it came back in 2003. It was very hard because
I lost my hair and the desire to live. But even though they
removed part of my body, the cancer is under control and I
thank God because I am still alive. Many workers died because
they didn’t realize that they were sick until it was
too late.
For farm workers there is no health insurance, or money to
cover healthcare costs, because the earnings are small and
uncertain. Those who pay us and those who make the laws don’t
think that because of us, the farm workers, fruits and vegetables
get to their tables. It is all the labor of the farm worker.
In any case, I think that it is very nice to work in the fields,
to smell the fresh vegetables and see the dew on the leaves.
It is nice to fill the lungs with fresh air.
Recently, I stopped working, because I am disabled, but I
am hoping to get well so that I can go back to work.
BY: EVA HERNÁNDEZ
TRANSLATED BY: ANDRES MURO
|
|
