The beginning of 2025 has been a tumultuous time for the immigrant community since President Trump's inauguration on January 20. Immediately, he began taking adverse actions against the immigrant community - both at the border and with increased enforcement efforts across the country. Our work has shifted accordingly to ensure that our immigrant community is aware and educated on what their rights are during this time. We know, however, that this work is not just for a week or two but must be sustained over the next 4 years of the administration.
We have updated materials and educational presentations for our community on "Know Your Rights" - ensuring that people in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland understand how to exercise their constitutional rights in case of an immigration encounter, as well as providing easy access to important phone numbers they may need. If you are interested in having copies of any of these materials, please contact us at cata@cata-farmworkers.org. The information is also available in Spanish on our website: https://www.cata-farmworkers.org/conozcasusderechos. This information is critical for our communities to protect themselves. Even the Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan commented recently, after an enforcement initiative in Chicago, that people had been well educated on their rights, making arrests more difficult.
During the year, we will continue to do workers' rights education and assistance, knowing that some unscrupulous employers may use the heightened situation of fear and uncertainty in our community to take advantage of vulnerable workers. We will also be working with other organizations and local officials to maintain good communication and coordination in the event of immigration enforcement actions in our area.
We are planning monthly community meetings to stay connected with our members and hear from them on how best we can work together to meet the needs of the community. We will also continue our office hours collaboration with other local nonprofits in NJ to reach a larger audience with information on workers' rights and immigrant rights.
CATA's two community gardens in Bridgeton, NJ, and Kennett Square, PA, will start their growing season in a few months to produce organic produce for those communities.
We plan to host another group of high school youth in our Food Justice Internship Program and also train another cohort of Workers Rights Ambassadors so that community members have the tools to educate themselves and others on important issues.
Outreach to migrant workers on farms in NJ, PA, and MD will begin in April - with particular efforts in Maryland to engage workers in dialogues around the RESPIRAR project - and how they see and experience the enforcement of regulations on farmworker housing and other laws. We will also continue to connect farmworkers with needed health information and access to medical assistance by working with our local migrant health clinics.
Most importantly, we will continue to work to ensure that CATA is a safe space for our community to seek assistance and resources, receive truthful and accurate information, and where they will always be welcomed and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
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