Immigrants and the Food Chain

So much of the food we eat is grown, processed, and prepared by people we rarely see. Many of them are immigrants and refugees. In this episode, we hear from Iowans whose lives and work are deeply woven into the fabric of our food system and explore what it means to search for safety, stability, and opportunity in a country that sends mixed messages.

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Voices

• Alex – aspiring farmer and refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo

• Valerie Lacarte – Senior Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute

• Maria Torres – community leader, Pottawattamie County Public Health

• Yves Fleurima – Haitian immigrant and advocate, Waterloo

Resources

• Latinos in Iowa, 2024 - Iowa Data Center

• Migrants in Iowa - Migrant Policy Institute

• The Essential Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Supply Chain (infographic) - Migrant Policy Institute

• The Hidden Costs of Trump's Mass Deportations -Wall Street Journal (Video)

• State Immigration Profiles: Iowa - Migrant Policy Institute

During health & safety training, Proteus staff have provided purple laundry bags and light-colored long-sleeve shirts to farmworkers. Farmworkers need to keep their field clothes separate from their other washing to prevent pesticides from transferring to their other clothes. Source: Proteus, Inc.

About Our Labor Equity Team

The Iowa Food System Coalition’s Labor Equity team is working to strengthen Iowa’s food system workforce through skill-building, fair compensation, and safe, equitable work environments. Our goal is to uplift ALL workers; especially those historically impacted by unjust labor policies and to ensure that every job in the food system is a job worth having.

Dig Deeper

Iowa immigrant group is alarmed by a state lawmaker’s demand for confidential information | AP News

Amid fear and nonprofit closure, immigrants need services in Pottawattamie County | KMTV Omaha

Pottawattamie County Public Health’s Maria Torres Honored with Awards for Community Impact | Pottawattamie County Public Health

‘We are not illegal humans’: Hundreds march in Iowa City in support of immigrants | Little Village Magazine

Iowa Legislator Bullies Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice

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