Pandemic Threatens Undocumented U.S. Farmworkers and Global Economy

Undocumented immigrant farmworkers across the United States are being hard hit by the pandemic while largely ineligible for federal relief. Limited access to health care, crowded living and working conditions, and few safety nets increase the risk of outbreaks among this workforce. Humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, have stepped in to provide critical medical support in places such as Immokalee, Florida. An outbreak among these workers would not only disrupt the U.S. food supply chain but also reduce earnings sent home as remittances, affecting families and local economies throughout Latin America. The issue and its wider consequences are explored in the CBS News special “Pandemia: Latinos in Crisis,” hosted by Maria Elena Salinas.