Jun 04, 2007 — In January, David Sommerstein traveled with a group of New York dairy farmers on a sort of reverse migration. They went to a tiny mountain town in Veracruz, Mexico, called Malacatepec. There, almost everyone has a family member who has worked or is working on a New York State dairy farm. The farmers wanted to better understand their new employees culture, economic situation, and what it all means for the immigration debate in this country. Here part one of a three part series. One note: the dairy farmers in this series are identified only by their first names to protect their farms and the Mexican immigrants who work there.  Go to full article

May 24, 2007 — The Pew Hispanic Center estimates between 550,000 and 650,000 illegal immigrants live in New York State. Most live in New York City and its suburbs. But a growing number work in agriculture or construction in Upstate New York, including on the North Country's dairy farms. Immigrants have become a part of daily life in largely white, rural communities. Max Pfeffer tracks what New Yorkers think about immigration, both legal and illegal. He's a professor of development sociology at Cornell University. For the last several years, Pfeffer's conducted polls asking whether there should be more or less immigration to the United States. He told David Sommerstein the results are much like the rest of the country: people are split.  Go to full article

May 22, 2007 — As the fierce debate on a massive immigration bill continues in Washington, dairy farmers fear they may be left out. New York's dairy farms have become increasingly reliant on Mexican and Central American workers. Many, if not most, of them are in this country illegally. A temporary worker program, known as H2A, would allow immigrants to work on farms for two years at a time, for up to six years. But it still remains to be seen whether dairy farmers would be allowed to use the program. Julie Suarez directs public policy for the New York Farm Bureau. She told David Sommerstein dairy was included in one version, but left out of another.  Go to full article