Public health workers said aggressive deportation tactics feared farm workers at the center of the national flu strategy.
Dairy and poultry workers explained In most cases For the US bird flu -and to prevent and detect events is important for avoiding infectious diseases. But public health experts say that many people are struggling to approach farm workers because they are scared to talk to strangers or leave their homes.
“People are very scared to go out to get groceries.” People are worried about losing their children or losing their parents. “
Yanez said, “I told people about bird flu and workers were pleased to get that information.” But now people want to know their rights. “
Volunteers who teach farm workers about bird flu, provides protective equipment, and connects with tests have said they have had the biggest change in California after the immigration air strike on January 7 after the election of Donald Trump. According to the quoted regional report, the border patrols were indiscriminately suspended from about 200 Latin farm workers and weekly workers in the California Central Valley. suit Since then, the United Farm Workers Union has been submitted by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of some people who have stopped and detained.
The lawsuit said, “The border patrols explored fishing with a three -day air raid that” teared the family and feared the community. “
Among them, Yolanda Aguilera Martinez, a farm worker and grandmother who lived legally in the United States and had no criminal records. She says when an ordinary agent of an unexpected vehicle pulls her, ordered her from the car, pushed her on the ground, she was handcuffed, she was driving at a speed limit at the promise of a doctor. Agents eventually released the Aguilera Martinez, but according to the lawsuit, other people faced deportation have been detained for several days in “cells without cold windows” before they were taken to Mexico.
According to the lawsuit, according to the lawsuit that they were arrested, they had a chance to defend themselves or gave them a chance to call a lawyer or family. One deported father who has no criminal records says, “I was quiet and scared.”
The news of the raid spread quickly in California. Estimated 880,000 Mainly Latin -based farm workers live. Dairy that employs immigration labor is said to produce almost 80%of US milk supply. 2014 Survey.
Antonio de Loera-brust, a spokesman for United Farm Workers, said, “After operating as a sender, dairy workers have no willingness to say about the lack of wages when they are infected with anonymity of dairy farms.
Other weekly volunteer workers report the similar effect of air raids and immigration policies passed after Trump took office. He repeatedly degraded immigrants and sweared to deport in the campaign trail. “They are not humans, but animals.” He talked about illegal immigrants in the United States. Last April.
Trump’s first legislative measure was to sign the Laken Riley Act, and to mandate federal detention for immigrants accused of crime, regardless of whether they were convicted. January 20, Land Security Department Withdrawal With the “protected region” policy, the agent can arrest people without legal status while in school, church or hospital. Last month, the Trump administration deported more than 100 Venezuela and others without hearing. Ignore the court order To turn men flying to El Salvador.
Investigators say that it is important to prevent people from detecting cases without being caught in bird flu. For this reason, the government has funded its efforts to protect farm workers and monitor signs of bird flu, such as symptoms such as redness and flu.
De Loera-Brrust said, “Every time the worker dies every time he dies, it is interesting for everyone to protect them.” The virus doesn’t care about the words of immigration. “
Infectious Disease global fashion potential
for 65 Dairy and poultry workers Since March 2024, we have been positive for bird flu, but the actual number of infections is higher. According to the KFF Health News survey, corrupt surveillance was not detected on the farm last year. Research has been revealed Signs of pre -infections of untested farm workers.
Salvador Sandoval, a recent retirement doctor at Merced County Health Department in California, said the state and regional health departments began to overcome the barriers to bird flu last year. He said, “People look at the mobile test device and think it’s a border patrol.”
Last year, volunteer groups were connected to farm workers in the places gathered at the food distribution event, but no longer attended, said Sandoval and others said.
“Regardless of the immigrant status, people who look like immigrants have a lot of fear right now, and he said that some Latin community health workers were worried about the harassment of the authorities and the public.
Latina volunteer workers in Michigan are worried about retaliation for their families, so they talk about the anonymity.
“They prefer to stay at home and make pain or redness disappear,” she said. “This year’s situation has actually strengthened and people are very scared.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported much less human cases since Trump took office. Three months ago, three months ago, the agency confirmed 12 cases. Since then, it has been found only three people, including two people who have a serious case for hospitalization.
The CDC continued to track the Bird flu, but Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s epidemic center, said that the slowdown in this case is due to lack of test. “I am concerned that we are seeing contractions in the surveillance and must contract for the spread of the virus.”
Unknowing infections are a great threat to farm workers and the public. Since the virus evolves into mutations in the body, each infection is like pulling the slot machine lever. A person who died of bird flu in Louisiana in December shows that: Scientific Evidence suggests The bird flu virus can evolve inside the patient and get a mutation that can spread the virus more more between humans. But because the patient was separated from the hospital, the more dangerous virus was not transmitted to another virus.
Angela Rasmussen, a virus scholar of the Suspension of the Suspension Catcher, said that sick farm workers could not happen if they live in a detention center without a crowded home or a window without being treated. Bird flu has no ability to spread easily between people through air, like seasonal flu, but it may sometimes spread when people are nearby.
“I am worried that some people will not know that this is happening until some people are seriously sick.” At that point, the numbers are so large that they can get out of the rail. “
Viruses can be evolved to spread easily, but possible. Rasmusen said the result would be “fatal.” Based on what is known about human infections, she and her colleagues New report The H5N1 BIRD Flu Pandemic is more than Covid-19 Pandemic, “overwhelming health care systems and” millions will cause more death. “
Vaccination is stopped
At the end of last year, CDC started a seasonal flu vaccine campaign for more than 200,000 livestock workers. The flu vaccination hoped that farm workers would be more likely to be infected with seasonal flu and bird flu virus. Common infections provide two flu viruses with opportunities to exchange genes, creating bird flu viruses that are as easily as seasonal varieties.
But Sandoval said in January that the flu vaccine inhalation decreased immediately after the operation in January.
US customs and border protection officials said statement They arrested 78 immigrants “illegally in the United States.” They said they included convicted sex offenders and other people with crime history, including damages and minor stolen. The agency did not name each person and did not say whether everything was prosecuted.
The former officials of the BIDEN administration, which had become weak after arrest, were far from the operation in the interview. With Los Angeles Times.
Mayra Joachin, an ACLU lawyer in southern California, said that this operation is different from others in the Biden administration. “The Trump administration is suitable for a wide range of campaigns that fear in the immigrant community,” she said. “As you can see in the campaign, as you can see in the follow -up measures that attacked a person who was recognized as a non -citizen in that country.”
In March, the border patrol vice president, which David Kim carried out the operation, called this operation as “concept proof.”
“We know that as long as we can go beyond that limit now.” Southern California News Outlet inwsource.
The Homeland Security Department did not respond to the request. A spokesman for Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, wrote, “Despite what experts believe, it is not mutual to fight against bird flu infectious diseases and to execute immigration.”
Anna Hill Galendez, a lawyer at the Michigan Immigration Rights Center involved in Bird Flu Outreach, said that abnormally aggressive tactics in the end of January interrupted the sick workers of the Michigan Upper Peninsula at the end of January. They asked for help from the center.
Hill Galendez said, “They wanted medical care. They wanted the flu vaccine. They wanted (personal protection equipment). They wanted to be tested.” “But they were afraid of going from where they immigrated.”
Lynn Sutfin, the head of the Michigan Health and Human Services, responded to KFF Health News with email questions about the peninsula.
The CDC did not mention the impact of immigration behavior on farm workers’ volunteer activities.
To adapt to the new reality, Yanez is now paired with information about immigrant rights and pays attention to the advice on Bird Flu in Michigan. KNAPP in Colorado said his organization is moving from the bird fluori rich at an event where farm workers gather. Because it can be recognized as an installation. Because if an ice agent aims to be such an event, it can be carelessly one.
Volunteers who live among farm workers are also withdrawn. The volunteer worker who talked about the conditions of anonymity said, “We are always identified as Latin.“ I have a visa that protects me, but the Trump administration is changing very fast and the truth is not clear. ”
KFF Health News is a nationwide newsroom that produces in -depth journalism about health problems and is one of KFF’s core operating programs. Learn more KFF.
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