El Paso, TX (KFOX14/CBS4) — Farmworker advocacy groups gathered in Central El Paso on Thursday to discuss challenges facing farmworker women and to push for immigration and labor policy reforms.
The Alianza Nacional de Campesinas held its annual Estado de la Campesina, or State of the Farmworker Woman, at a cafe in Central El Paso. The event brought together visitors and advocates to discuss the current political environment amid what they described as “an unprecedented time of repression, especially for our undocumented members.”
The event also aimed to “hold up examples of farmworker women around the United States as models for resilience and strength,” while also denouncing the harms they face, including gender-based violence in the fields.
Mily Treviño Sauceda, executive director of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, said the organization’s goal is to elevate farmworker women’s concerns and organize for change.
“Our mission is to provide the voices of campesinas,” Treviño Sauceda said.
She added the group works to “have a unified voice so we can mobilize and create change at a national level.”
During the event, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas also called on the government to recognize farmworkers as essential workers and to pursue immigration reform, end family detention, and pass legislation aimed at improving workplace conditions.
The organization said it continues to face increased pressure from the current administration, due to increased immigration activity and less funding towards farmworker programs.
Treviño Sauceda said despite the pressure, the organization continues to push for rights and protections, saying, “We also know how to challenge, and we know how to help people get their protections.”
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