Migrants in Michigan

Analysis:

The sub-heading in the article says “Study raises questions about legal housing, services,” but the article focuses mostly on the children of migrant families working in the state. The article does cite Martha Gonzalez-Cortez with the Office of Migrant Affairs, who states that “If we have 90,000 farm workers in the state, where do they live? We only have licensed housing for 25,000.” The reporter does not investigate that question and instead moves on to the issue of children of migrant workers.

The only other sources cited are Evelyn Ortiz with the Grand Rapids Public Schools, Elvira Garcia with Head Start in Ottawa County, and a lawyer with Farmworkers Legal Services. There are two large photos that accompany this story, one of migrant workers hauling Christmas trees and another who is picking apples. Considering that the photographs deal with workers you might think that the issues of working conditions or the pay migrant workers receive would be included in the article, but that isn’t the case. The study looked at the migrant worker population in seasonal agriculture labor, the food processing industry, which includes slaughter houses, and a third category called “Reforestation”, which encompasses all nurseries. Another significant omission from the story is that the voices and perspectives of both employers and workers themselves were not included.

Story:

Ottawa County’s migrant population tops in state
By Nardy Baeza Bickel and Ted Roelofs

With about 90,000 migrants moving through Michigan each year, that population ranks sixth in the nation.

And Ottawa County’s migrant population ranks No. 1 in the state, according to a new study, which also ranked Kent County fifth and Allegan County sixth.

Martha Gonzalez-Cortes, state director of the Office of Migrant Affairs, said this group has become irreplaceable in the state’s agricultural industry.

“In Ottawa County, the nursery industry closes up shop and goes away without this population. The blueberry industry closes up shop if this population isn’t around.”
But Gonzalez-Cortes said the study raises questions about the need for housing and education for migrant workers, which include U.S. citizens and undocumented residents.

“If we have 90,000 farm workers in the state, where do they live? We only have licensed housing for 25,000.”

The study found there are more than 20,000 migrant children younger than 13, underlining the challenge facing schools charged with educating a transient population.

“We are continually monitoring these kids,” said Evelyn Ortiz, director of migrant programs for Grand Rapids Public Schools.

“Where do they go? Where do they come from? There is always so much to do.”

Ortiz said the district enrolled 136 migrant children in 2005-06. They were offered bilingual classes in 11 elementary schools.

Many students also participated in a summer school program while their parents picked crops.
“They move and they come back. We do as much as possible to keep them in school and to monitor their progress.”

Gonzalez-Cortes said the study should put Michigan on better footing to win an array of federal grants by furnishing detailed information on the state’s migrant population. The state’s Department of Human Services spends about $6 million a year for migrant day care, Medicaid and food stamps, she said.

The study was funded with a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and money from the state Department of Education. It accounts for seasonal and migrant workers in the fields, food processing, greenhouse and nursery production and reforestation.

Elvira Garcia has worked with migrant families in Ottawa County for 18 years, so she wasn’t surprised by the study’s results.

Garcia, who directs a migrant Head Start program in Ottawa County, hopes the study will convince funding sources that “we need more help.”
The study found that each year, 45,800 farm workers harvest Michigan crops. Another 44,916 people — including 41,038 children and youth under 20 — live in migrant and seasonal homes.
Ottawa County sees 6,030 migrant and seasonal workers each year, but the number swells to 11,942 when family members also are counted.

Kent County ranked fifth in the state, with 3,280 migrant workers and 3,496 non-workers in migrant households. Allegan was sixth, with 1,827 workers and 3,618 family members a year.
Garcia hopes the study proves the need to extend her Head Start program into September. It now runs from June to August.

More migrants are staying longer in the season to work at nurseries, she said. And their children could use the extra time in school.

“Migrants are caring people, very hard workers, and they want the best for their children. But when they’re here, their main focus is to work so they can supply the basic needs for their children.”

The study’s results also will make it easier for other agencies working with migrants, said Tom Thornburg, head attorney for Farmworkers Legal Services.

“It’s going to help by giving us updated information about where the farm workers are in the state and who they are. We’ll be able to redeploy our limited resources to seek them out and offer them assistance.”