butterbean
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 2269
|
 Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:51 pm Post subject: Mexican illegal workers on VT farm fear deportation |
 |
|
BURLINGTON, Vt.— Vermont needs to put out more of a welcome mat for Mexican workers employed at dairy farms around the state or those workers might start looking for jobs elsewhere, a Mexican consulate official in Boston says.
Rodrigo Marquez, deputy counsel for the Mexican consulate in Boston, said last month that Vermont has a reputation among Mexican workers in New England as a place where they have to live in isolation because of a constant fear of deportation.
Many of the estimated 2,000 Mexicans working on farms in Vermont are believed to have entered the country illegally. Nationally, there are more than 12 million illegal immigrants, half of them from Mexico.
“Vermont is the toughest state in New England to live in for the worker because of the real fear they will be detained and get deported,” Marquez said. “In Vermont, it’s almost automatic, and that’s not the case in other states.”
Marquez praised local advocate groups and the state Agriculture, Food & Markets Agency for their support of Mexican workers, but he is perplexed about the cool reception they’ve received from other state agencies, particularly the Vermont State Police.
continued:
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070218/NEWS/702180528/1008/NEWS02 |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
