Recently, Lookout published a letter on the effects of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on Oregon’s wineries. Let me add that if our government deports all of our “criminal immigrant” agricultural workers, we in Oregon are in trouble.

According to the University of Oregon, more than 90 percent of our farmworkers are Latinx.

They help plant and harvest our grapes, but they also are widely engaged in landscaping, tree farming, planting and harvesting other crops, keeping our canneries functioning, warehousing, transportation — and I know I have left something out.

Beyond that, many immigrants cook and serve in our restaurants, give care to our elders and work in other service industries. Immigrants hold positions in mid- and higher-range jobs, too. Overall, they contribute to a significant share of Oregon’s economic output.

And none of this speaks to the richness of culture and language that immigrants bring to a community.

Jeanne Armstrong
Eugene

https://cllas.uoregon.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/PCUN_story_WEB.pdf#:~:text=Mexican%20farmworkers%20form%20the%20backbone,Latino%2C%20primarily%20of%20Mexican%20origin.