Eastern WA farmworkers fear deportation if Trump is reelected

The largest mass deportation in history, called “Operation Wetback,” dates back to the 1950s under the Eisenhower administration, an initiative about which Trump has often spoken highly.

Last year at a rally in Iowa, Trump said by “following the Eisenhower model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

As many as 1.3 million people were deported in an effort to remove undocumented Hispanics from the United States, even though many had been invited to work in the fields through the Bracero Program.

One justification for the program was that some believed it would benefit the U.S. economy. But it was ultimately deemed a failure, as it failed to stem the tide of illegal immigration, drew public outcry and lost funding.

Despite this history, not everyone is convinced that a mass deportation plan would affect their community.

Paula McKay, manager of Mar-Jon Labor, LLC, said because many workers in Othello are part of the H-2A program or have been here for several years, it wouldn’t affect them, since she doesn’t see the likelihood of it happening.

“I know that it’s been taken out of context – I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen because I don’t think they’re going to do that to those people that have been here 10, 20, 30 years undocumented,” McKay said. “I think they will give them a chance to become, probably at least, a permanent resident or citizenship.”

Her colleague and founder of Mar-Jon, Jon Warling, also doubts it will happen.

He said if any regulations are introduced during a potential second term under Trump, however, those who have worked hard and have been here for decades should have a pathway to citizenship.

“The ones that have a history of being here should be left alone,” Warling said.

Other community members remain uncertain.

José Garza, executive director of the Othello Food Bank, expressed doubt about whether Trump would proceed with a mass deportation, and he remains unsure about how it would impact the community.

He emphasized that with Othello’s farming industry being well-established, he suggested that it might withstand such challenges. He also said he would like to believe that the community would come together if a mass deportation happened.

“I think we’re mostly affected through the state laws – especially because this election we’re getting a new governor, and we’re getting a lot of new officials, and so it’s going to be a change,” Garza said.

But if even state laws can cause challenges, federal laws can pose much larger issues.