David

Names of people have been changed to maintain privacy.

“I truly love this kid. I’d protect him with my life,” says Smith, who married into her husband’s family farm, of the Mexican migrant worker that she and her husband worked with a few seasons ago.

“We didn’t want to bring any shame to the farm,” says Smith, “We didn’t want any trouble here. But when my father in law passed, with the rising costs of farming and demand of milking each day, we couldn’t stretch ourselves any thinner.” And that’s when David came along. David was skeptical and nervous at first when he started working with Smith and her husband. For good reason, though, as a couple of residents in that town had sent people in for being illegal before. David had worked in several other places in the area, had a driver’s license in another state, and filed taxes. As he became more comfortable with the Smith’, he would joke about not having a green card.

Smith and her husband gave David half of their house to live in, with a shared bathroom. In 2013, there was a big fallout in milk pricing, and although he begged to stay, the Smith’ had to have David leave. David was like a son to Smith, and one of the nicest people she’d ever met. “That young man, they are the best people that are over here working, and they send money back.” Smith learned from David a little bit about what it was like where he’s from, and would go to jail in a second rather than telling the police where he is. “But my focus is on the farm,” explains Smith, and with the price of farming, tractors, and all of the other equipment much higher than what farmers get for what they produce, it is difficult to keep employees like David for long.

“I really truly don’t respect the government in this country. They aren’t straightforward, and they pad their own wallets.” Smith is frustrated that politicians don’t seem to think about the farmers, and that we are living in what she calls a “cheap food policy”. Smith explains how young people are taking over family farms less and less, as the income from farming is way too cheap for real estate prices nowadays.

To Smith, migrant workers are incredibly important for the farming industry in this country. “The United States needs people like David coming over to work. They will work hard for you, they’re respectable, they are happy—I really believe that with my whole being.”