Dozens of residents from across the Adirondacks gathered in Elizabethtown this week to support immigrant rights and advocate for the protection of farmworkers.
This rally was part of a statewide caravan focusing on immigrant issues, drawing attention to the critical role that immigrant labor plays in New York’s agricultural sectors while also raising concerns about recent federal immigration policies.
About 40 participants assembled in front of the Essex County Clerk’s Office, holding a large sign stating, “Immigrants Feed Us.” Their message was clear: the plans introduced by President Donald Trump to deport millions could severely impact local economies that rely on immigrant labor.
New York’s agricultural industry, which includes dairy farms, apple orchards, and food processing facilities, heavily depends on immigrant workers.
Zuzia Kwasniewski, a local resident and former farmhand from the Champlain Valley, shared her perspective on the growing reliance on immigrant labor.
“As our labor force has diversified, we now rely on immigrant labor to staff our farms and harvest food and process food,” Kwasniewski stated.
The caravan, organized by Rural and Migrant Ministry—a nonprofit focused on farmworker advocacy—made its way from Long Island to various locations across New York, including Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Massena, and Canton.
On Thursday, the group planned to stop in Sackets Harbor, a community that recently experienced an ICE raid on a dairy farm, leading to the detention of a family.
Richard Witt, executive director of Rural and Migrant Ministry, emphasized the importance of addressing the effects of immigration policies on local economies.
“The message to our elected officials is to pause, to turn down the vitriol and examine what these policies are doing to our own economies [and] what these policies are doing to their own constituents,” Witt explained.
He pointed out that immigrants are vital to not only agriculture but also to elder care, health care, and higher education sectors.
“I think immigrants are the backbone and the foundation of our economy,” Witt asserted. “Without them, we’re in trouble.”
Concerns about labor shortages in the Adirondacks were echoed by local attendees, especially as opportunities grow in hospitality and elder care.
Peter Hahn from Ray Brook voiced worry about businesses in Saranac Lake closing due to an inability to find workers.
“Our economy is at stake,” Hahn remarked.
Describing himself as the son of immigrants, Hahn also expressed distress about the potential deportation of individuals without due process, particularly to hazardous countries.
“It’s important that we support people and not treat them cruelly,” he said.
The rally highlighted the chilling impact of immigration enforcement, creating a climate of fear in rural towns where immigrants have lived and worked for years.
Lisa Baker, an organizer with Rural and Migrant Ministry, shed light on the everyday anxieties faced by immigrant families.
“So many people are afraid to leave their homes, to go to the grocery store,” Baker noted.
She added that children live in fear of returning home from school to find their parents missing.
Retired professor and historian Nell Painter underscored the importance of recognizing the region’s diversity during the demonstration.
“We are a multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial, multigendered society,” Painter said.
She reflected on the critical need for immigrant labor, stating, “We’re dependent on immigrant workers. We need to respect their workers’ rights, not just their rights as people who are working in the United States for Americans, but also their rights as working people.”
image source from：northcountrypublicradio
