Helping Utah's Migrant Workers

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) It's high watermelon season in Green River, Utah and 95 percent of the migrant workers harvesting the fruit are undocumented. That's according to Corrie Jensen, who travels the state helping farm workers with her agency, Futures Through Training:

"They come up, most of them, from Mexico. When they're here, it's an invisible population and they don't tend to interact with anyone else unless there's an emergency and they have to ask for help," says Jensen.

About 100 migrants workers converge on Green River each year to pick watermelons. Jensen says Utah's cherry, onion and potato crops also draw workers who travel from state to state following the harvest. Often, she says these workers don't know where to turn for help:

"Things that are relatively small to the rest of us become family emergencies," says Jensen. "A torn pair of pants when you only have one pair. . . or it can be as horrible as cancer. If you don't know where to go, there's nothing that you can do. So we try to make it possible for everyone to know, while they're working in our state, who they can turn to."

Futures Through Training holds migrant outreach fairs around the state during the summer to help workers access medical care and legal services. They also bring donated clothing and supplies for the migrants. On August 10th the group will visit Green River.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2009 KCPW