Haitian immigrant Samuel Durand, 31, was deported to Haiti after living in Chicago for 17 years. He was jailed for three days upon his arrival.
Author Archives: Jacob Kushner
Posted inHealth & Welfare, Justice & Safety
In Haiti, U.S. deportees face illegal detentions and grave health risks
The United States this year has deported more than 250 Haitians, half of whom were jailed without charges in facilities so filthy they pose life-threatening health risks. Some Haitians faced lengthy confinement in U.S. immigration facilities before the deportations. An investigation by the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting found evidence that the Obama administration has not followed its own policy of seeking alternatives to deportation when there are serious medical and humanitarian concerns.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy
Immigrant dairy workers transform a rural Wisconsin community
An influx of immigrants into Wisconsin’s dairy industry is giving a new Hispanic flavor to rural areas.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy
Wisconsin dairy farms are growing — along with their immigrant work forces
Wisconsin’s dairies are expanding, and they can’t do it without immigrant labor. Part 5 in our Dairyland Diversity project.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
No new penalties for hiring illegal immigrants
The state senate rejected a measure to impose strict penalties on companies found to have employed an undocumented worker. The bill’s failure is big news for Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, who increasingly rely on Hispanic immigrants to milk their herds. A report by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in November revealed the difficulties dairy farmers face finding legal workers for their operations.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety
A delicate existence: Undocumented Wisconsin dairy farm workers
They traveled 1,720 miles to work long hours on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin, among people who do not speak their language and in a place where their presence is illegal. Part 3 in our Dairyland Diversity project.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy
Immigrants now 40 percent of state’s dairy workforce
A growing number of Wisconsin dairy farmers are relying on immigrants to milk their cows and keep their farms running smoothly. But experts say farmers are often caught in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” web of federal employment regulations, with a strong incentive to know as little as possible about the legal status of their workers.