This year marked the 90th anniversary for the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. Advocates for Migrant farmworkers gathered outside the event on Saturday to show support for workers who couldn’t be there.
“The migrant community has been they’re they’re kind of scared, so it’s a little bit less than usual since I, you know, I have.
I speak with a lot with the migrant community and they they’re avoiding the strawberry festival with fear of, you know, being detained.”
That’s Joseph Ventura. He’s the son of Mexican immigrants but is a US citizen and grew up picking berries on the farm.
“At a young age, I got to work in the strawberry fields and I went to Michigan to pick blueberries. I also picked jalapeno, cucumber. I know the work of a migrant worker. Even though I’m a US citizen, I know the work that, you know, goes into, you know, all these, you know, that that they go through.”
With recent executive orders to deport immigrants with criminal backgrounds, Ventura said that while he agrees with keeping America safe, the orders are making life harder for those who haven’t committed any crimes.
“There’s some bad ones that they should leave. They shouldn’t be here. And then there are some good ones that want to do everything right, but with the with the. The immigration system is so broken. You have to wait years to, you know, get here legally. I mean many people don’t have years. Some, you know, some people are waiting 20 years just to, you know, get over here and by that age they’re gonna, you know, they’re not going to be able to work.”
Joseph lost his job due to health conditions but said he still wants to be the voice for those who are concerned with facing deportation if they speak up.
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