With the holidays quickly approaching, a handful of migrant workers from Mexico are eager to return to their loved ones.
These workers have worked throughout the fall in Virginia, either harvesting crops or pruning the tree branches in preparation for the next growing season, which usually runs from spring to late summer.
One of them was Francisco “Paco” Resendiz, a shy, 27-year-old friendly worker who came to Nelson County from Hidalgo, Mexico. He enjoys watching soccer, singing, and playing the drums when he is not operating the fields. He’s been staying in the United States for two years, or as the workers call it, “two seasons.”
This is not the job Resendiz wants to do in the long run. He came to the U.S. to provide for his family as U.S. dollars exchanged into Mexican pesos hold more value.
“It’s easier to be here to save up some money, so I can maybe invest in something in Mexico,” Resendiz said in Spanish. “It’s so hard to be without a family or to have somebody to talk to sometimes. We might not always like it, but it’s better to be here.”
Resendiz studied engineering and industrial design at a university in Mexico for almost three years, only to drop out due to limited opportunities.
“It was just a difficult situation,” Resendiz said. “I’ve been able to apply some of what I have learned in my life.”
What motivates Resendiz to keep working, he said, is his family.
“We’re a very close family,” he said.
Although most of the men are back with their families in Mexico, Resendiz stayed in Virginia during the off-season months to prune the branches.
More than 600 men from Mexico come to this area of Virginia via work visas to operate apple and peach orchard fields, either maintaining the fields or harvesting or processing the crops. The migrant workers wake up early, eat breakfast and get ready for work. The crew leaders pick the workers up on the bus and the workers would operate the fields for eight long hours, with only a few breaks throughout the day. After their shift, the workers return home, shower and help make dinner. They often talk to their families over the phone if they have time.
“And then, the next day, we do the same thing all over again,” Resendiz said. “If you keep doing the same thing over and over, you have to stick to the routine. Pruning, for example, cutting the branches off, harvesting or picking the fruits, is very repetitive labor.”
Most workers live in rural and isolated places with little access to necessities such as groceries and essential healthcare.
This is where Vanessa Hale steps in to help. Hale is the executive director of Central Virginia Farm Workers Initiative, which she founded in 2020, and is dedicated to providing educational and healthcare resources for migrant workers.
Hale and other organization members often go out of their way to help migrant workers, even if it means driving at night up and down the mountains.
“There’s always going to be those needs or someone to help bridge the gap, concerning interpretation, getting them in touch with community services, providing transportation and all year-round healthcare,” she said. “What I see is if we continue to bridge the gap and we have connections with leaders that are in the community, they can help educate the other men as they come in.”
The workers live in communal housing, usually next to the rolling fields.
“These guys are sort of de facto members of our community,” she said. “They live here more than they live in Mexico. They come back year after year once their contract is renewed.”
Housing, which is often paid for by the growers, or farm owners, is cramped and not always in good condition, Hale said.
Resendiz lives in a one-story cinder-block home facing the orchards and Blue Ridge Mountains, which he shares with other workers. His housing has a communal kitchen and living space, with dormitory-style rooms fitting around three or four workers.
“There’s barely any privacy,” Hale said.
When the general public thinks of migrant workers, they are often misconstrued as individuals from Central American countries who are undocumented immigrants taking over American jobs, she said.
“There are some nuances to the definition that are not understood,” she said of the word.
Resendiz said he is happy working in the U.S.
“We don’t want to cause any trouble or chaos,” he said. “Our work is very important to us. We’re very faithful to our work. When trying to work, we give our maximum effort.”
Although excited about going home to Mexico and spending the holidays with his family, Resendiz said he plans to return to the U.S. next year.
“We leave with the hope of returning,” he said.