TEXAS FARMER: "I have zero workers." Are we great now?

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

TEXAS FARMER: “I have zero workers.”

The NYTimes visits farm towns on the border where Trump’s ICE raids are causing chaos for workers, farmers and our nation’s food supply.

Are we great now?

TEXAS FARMER: “I have zero workers.”

The NYTimes visits farm towns on the border where Trump’s ICE raids are causing chaos for workers, farmers and our nation’s food supply.

Are we great now? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/u...

— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2025-06-27T13:00:49.151Z

Question Texas farmer. Did you vote for Trump? Yes. Well. Fuck you.

— Mustang 6 (@mustang63.bsky.social) 2025-06-27T13:05:11.740Z

This is what you fucking MAGA Farmer Teds voted for.

Higher prices on groceries are already happening.

And how much of our fucking tax dollars will the Trump admin waste subsidizing these dumbasses?

“Sorry I fucked you all over by taking your cheap illegal labor - here, have some money…”.

— The Potty Mouth Pundit (@pottymouthpundit.bsky.social) 2025-06-27T13:15:26.524Z

[PJMcK]

1. They voted for Abbott and Trump

That man can fuck off.

[Omnipresent]

4. They always find some minuscule reason to back republicans.

When the results are always the same, they vote against their own interests! What a bunch idiots!

[Maru Kitteh]

12. That is incorrect and we should stop saying it. They voted FOR

their primary interest, which is racism and hatred. All other interests, including their own lives, are secondary.

They knew this going in, it’s only that they never quite believe they will suffer along with those they wished to degrade and hurt until it happens. Then they are somehow surprised, like, every - single - time.

[niyad]

14. Exactly!!!

[JustAnotherGen]

34. Amen!

[patphil]

86. That's the truth.

They always believed someone else would suffer, not them. And, they were good with other people's suffering.
But the universal truth of FAFO is like shingles. It doesn;'t care who you are.
I'd call Karma a bitch, but it transcends sexual labels.
It's the universal leveling force that is very accurately described in the world of computer programing.
Garbage in, garbage out. And these guys, who've been slinging shit for a long time, are most definitely holding the shit end of the stick now.
I wish them luck....nah, actually I don't.

[SergeStorms]

88. But EVERY American....

will be paying the price for this, not to mention the poor migrants who just want the jobs no American will do.

[patphil]

90. Yep, that's about it.

So we can look forward to years of continual economic shit storm, and we once again find ourselves in a position where we have to decide to "live free or die" again.
But we can take heart in the fact that billionaires across the land are "feeling the love" from the government they bought.
And the land became white from the blood of the black and brown people who were sacrificed on the altar of White Supremacy.
Praise the Lord.

[Maru Kitteh]

94. And worse yet, they know going in that *some good people will suffer

They just don’t think they will be one of those *good people.



*probably not actually good people

[calimary]

93. Well, then, that's all I'D need to know.

You were okay with this? Then that means that I'm NOT okay with you.

[Norrrm]

2. To the employers who supported Trump, hire republicans who now get their jobs back.

[tulipsandroses]

6. I saw a video on Reddit yesterday, owner of construction company complaining that it was taking

his new employees (white men) 4 days to do what should have been completed in 1 day. LOL.
I bet he'd rather have his previous immigrant employees. Next time, be better. Don't let your bigotry get the best of you.

[Upthevibe]

53. Norrrm...........

I wanted to post your sentiment on FB.

Okay, republicans.........get out there.........

[Norrrm]

65. Some more comments

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219799283

[Buckeyeblue]

3. It's interesting how surprised all these farmers are acting

During the presidential campaign, Trump was very explicit about deporting millions of people. He was evasive about many other things. But not about that.

[travelingthrulife]

10. They have been sold the lie that millions of people are rampaging across the border.

No crisis. Never happened.None of this was necessary. The process for work or school entry visas just needed to be improved.

[Lonestarblue]

41. The other lies they've been told is that migrants are all on welfare, along with most black people.

I suspect that most of the MAGA cult believe that few white people take advantage of welfare and it’s mostly black and brown people and immoral unwed mothers who expect taxpayers to subsidize their lifestyle. These are the people they think should be forced to take the jobs vacated by all the people deported, most of whom were just hard workers helping support the US economy.

Polls consistently show that people overestimate the number of black people on welfare, and Republicans and their media like Fox and hate radio keep this myth alive.

“The majority of those who receive government assistance in the U.S. are not Black. Using research from the Urban Institute (gathering data from 59 million people), the graph below presents the largest percentage of welfare recipients in 2019. The majority of recipients were white (43 percent), followed by Hispanic (26 percent), and Black (23 percent). These figures fall in line with population demographics and debunk the misconception that welfare programs are predominantly associated with the Black community.”

https://www.revolt.tv/article/are-black-people-the-majority-of-those-on-welfare

I don’t know how reliable Revolt is, but those numbers have been reported elsewhere. Here’s a more recent Pew Research study just on SNAP benefits from 2023 showing that 62.7% of SNAP recipients are white and 27% are black and 27% Hispanic. A whopping 87.8% are native born, which dispels the other Republican myth that migrants are all on welfare. It would be nice if mainstream media bothered to counter Republican lies with facts, but they don’t bother, and that is one reason why Republican voters keep voting for Republicans when they are obviously hurt by their economic policies.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/19/what-the-data-says-about-food-stamps-in-the-u-s/

[Whiskeytide]

68. I live in a red state, and that is ...

… EXACTLY what many of my neighbors, friends and family think. And they really cannot be dissuaded from that belief.

[SergeStorms]

89. A steady diet of right-wing propaganda.....

from Fox and Newsmax won't allow them to be dissuaded. And certainly don't attempt to find the truth for yourself. Why bother? Rupert Murdoch would never lie to you!

[Midnight Writer]

70. Personally, I have never met an immigrant who did not have a job.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

83. Many, maybe most of them have two jobs.

[cannabis_flower]

84. And criminals.

He said they were all rapists and murderers.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

105. Says the convicted felon and grifter.

[Ohioboy]

45. But, but Trump said he was deporting criminals, not good workers

Oh, and also the people who were eating pets in Springfield.

[the nelm]

46. Particularly given how in the first Trump go round the dummy killed...

the farmer's export markets with his first iteration of his tariff nonsense. Trump is the death of anything he gets his grubby little hands on. These guys are very slow learners...or as another stated, it really is racism and hatred.

[travelingthrulife]

109. Same thing with tariffs. He promised crippling tariffs and he delivered.

These people were hurt Trump's first time around with tariffs, no learning curve whatsoever.

[Hotler]

5. His MAGA friends and neighbors should be helping bring in the crops. The Amish don't use migrant labor on their farms.

We don't hear them whining.

[tulipsandroses]

8. Right. Every person that held up a mass deportation sign at rallies should be recruited to help

Better yet, conscripted to work on farms.

[Hotler]

13. One would think that they would be setting an example for us woke folk.

[modrepub]

21. Be Careful What You Wish For

Red state governors could empty their prisons to replace deported farm workers and pocket their convicts pay. Then increase enforcement to provide more conscripted workers.

[Norrrm]

25. Renting out convicts. Gone With the Wind.

[mnhtnbb]

28. The Shawshank Redemption

[BidenRocks]

104. O Brother

[BigMin28]

64. Texas prisons

Already use prison labor for private, for profit corporations. They are paid a pittance. These same prisoners would be hard pressed to get hired at any of these same companies upon their release.

[milestogo]

18. They'll just make the women and children do it.

[kkmarie]

24. And remember they want the folks on

Social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP benefits.

[DBoon]

60. as in Dickens' time

“Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge.

“Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

“And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”

“They are. Still,” returned the gentleman, “I wish I could say they were not.”

“The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?” said Scrooge.

“Both very busy, sir.”

“Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,” said Scrooge. “I’m very glad to hear it.”

Most people would see this as heartless and cruel.

Republicans go, "That's a great idea!"

[In It to Win It]

7. It's okay. He can hire some American workers 🙄

[Torchlight]

9. Thoughts and prayers, Farmer Nick. Thoughts and prayers.

If I offered you anything else, I'm afraid I'd be enabling your dependency over self-reliance... we certainly can't have that.

[Scalded Nun]

43. Thoughts, Mr. Farmer. That's it. Fuck the prayers.

[hatrack]

11. Great! Again!

[dalton99a]

15. An important detail:

Undocumented workers have long been the lifeline of farms along the border region. In the most recent survey published by the National Center for Farmworker Health, about 80 percent of surveyed workers in Hidalgo County said they were undocumented. And the county, the largest in the Valley, as the region is known, has more than 2,400 farms.

Legal farm workers with H-2A visas, which allow mostly Mexican nationals to work and live while they labor on farms, make up only a small percentage of the work force, according to the same study.

Many farmers fear that speaking up will make them a target of the government. Conservative Republicans in Texas, who control every branch of state government, have made aggressive immigration laws a priority and have vowed to assist the Trump administration in its crackdown.

But Texas lawmakers have overlooked one telling detail: They have failed to require most private employers to use E-Verify, a federal program that verifies workers’ legal status, an oversight not lost on farmers on the border. That means most employers in Texas aren't explicitly required to confirm the immigration status of hires.

[UpInArms]

16. No paywall link

https://archive.ph/omg7g

The cruelty never stops

[jmbar2]

35. Thank you!

[markie]

39. thank you!

[twodogsbarking]

17. Remember the Alamo.

[Wednesdays]

58. Off-topic, but it's a funny thing about the Alamo

When I was learning history in junior high and high school, we were taught that the defenders of the Alamo were patriots fighting off a cruel, repressive army headed by Santa Ana, a power-mad Napoleon wannabe.

In reality, Santa Ana was putting down a rebellion headed by INVADERS. Just imagine if a few hundred men from another country took over a swath of land in say, Iowa, and declared it an independent nation. I doubt that any President of the United States, let alone TSF, would allow it to last longer than a few hours without the military smashing it like a bug.

[raccoon]

61. And it was about slavery. In Mexico it was illegal. That's why the Americans were fighting, so they could stay in the

US where slavery was legal.

[twodogsbarking]

71. History isn't always factual. It is the set of agreed upon lies.

[Norrrm]

75. History is written by the winners..... The Alamo itself was a win - for Mexico, but US won in the end.

(That lady is from the next vehicle)

This guy better never drive to Texas.

[twodogsbarking]

81. Never play Scrabble with the truck owner.

[markodochartaigh]

85. Yes.

In the US there was a movement called the filibusterers. They wanted to invade Latin American countries and turn parts of them into slave states. Texas was the most successful enterprise, but Dr Wm. Walker looked for a time as if he would be successful in Nicaragua. Even after the US Civil War some Southern plantation owners fled to Brazil where slavery was still legal.
In my opinion, when someone gets used to living off the work of others it is very difficult to get them to turn from their parasitic lifestyle and support themselves.

[IronLionZion]

19. Aren't MAGA voters applying for these jobs?

No? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

[mwb970]

20. Oh you poor poor baby.

Sympathy Level: 0

[BoRaGard]

22. "We accept full responsibility for this clusterf*ck. We did it." - G.O.P.

as if. as if the gop ever would tell the truth, act with integrity and support America. As if...

[Scrivener7]

23. Welp ...

[markie]

26. good reads....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2025/trump-farmers-grants-freeze-usda-migrants/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f005

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-farmers-2672410822/


we need a better way to reach those that we want to hate.... yes, racism and xenophobia are strong...

[JustAnotherGen]

32. Want to hate?

I do hate them. They are in my way.

[markie]

37. I know.....

suppose I am projecting because I feel the anger knowing it will not help me or my neighbor

[JustAnotherGen]

48. I think it's righteous anger

And at the end of the day -

Righteous Anger will prevent us from returning to the Status Quo when the regime falls.

Things I think were impossible in 2021 - are no longer impossible.

These people in this administration are human rights violating traitors to the US Constitution. The SCOTUS 6 are no different than third Reich Judges. They serve at the pleasure of the Leader.

Examples - in several lots we fire CBP and FBI agents then make them reapply. If they are able to get past those interviews, they get their years of service, pay and earned benefits back.

ICE - Eliminate entirely. I know of three people who are keeping databases of the officers images and crowd sourcing to determine who they are. Violators subjected to Human Rights violations in a tribunal.

We could potentially remove the three SCOTUS judges installed during the first Admin/first cheating by Krasnov.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

50. Better way to reach those we want to hate? Reach with simple emotional messages

The independents who voted tRump did so mostly for economic reasons because wages and salaries have stagnated while the rich get richer.

Agree with them (for the sake of advancing the cause) that inflation is bad (it is not) or that their class (working or middle) is being held back (it is, by billionaires). Point out how tRump is helping trillion dollar corporations but taking away supports for their class. Lots to work with.

The key is that tRump voters like simple concepts and won't take the time for deeper understanding. Also that they are more likely to agree with emotional arguments than reasoned thinking. Roll with it.

[mgardener]

27. Not even thoughts or prayers

I am done.
Trump told them exactly what he was going to do.

[Historic NY]

29. You know who has workers TRump,

You know who has workers TRump, cleaning his shit stalls, making his beds, mowing his grass, washing his laundry..... at all his properties.

[littlemissmartypants]

30. Bless his heart.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. Good

With rising prices I can't afford tater tots or pears so all I've got is a 'good'.

[Keepthesoulalive]

102. I'm tired of being lectured to about hating

Our oppressors and the people that support them. People on DU cannot accept that some of their brethren can’t be reached and that they enjoy hurting others. If they are so damned easy to be reached why don’t they do it. We are constantly being told our hatred is a moral failing, rather than dealing with over 300 years of their cruelty.thank you for keeping up the fight, I am exhausted.

[JustAnotherGen]

106. It's enough

I've had it. I'm not coming to their rescue anymore. These people continuously fuck up America and make it suck for everyone not like them.

They can't be reached. These "aha moment" stories by the media purveyors of propaganda?

I don't care. We have had people like this guy shoved down our throats since 2015. I don't care about these maga Repubs.

He got what he wanted - so he can eat it up.

[nycbos]

33. They voted for this.

I don’t have sympathy. Same for Latinos with undocumented families who voted for him and the same for Muslims who voted for him.

[bucolic_frolic]

36. Pay attention to that. NO WORKERS is something Republicans understand.

It may only impact around certain industries, but the principle will scare the pants off them. Production for home use, home gigs, remote work. NO WORKERS.

[AllyCat]

38. They are having the day they voted for.

Unfortunately, they are taking the rest of us with them and causing untold misery to immigrant workers and their families.

[hunter]

40. They'll bankrupt you, put you in debtors prison, and then rent you out...

... to work the land you once owned.

You'll be paid just enough that you can buy two Ibuprofen tablets a day in the prison commissary to ease your misery.

America will be great again!

[irisblue]

42. I googled his name & got these quotes. Guess you better get your family out there pal...

Last edited Fri Jun 27, 2025, 01:23 PM - Edit history (1)

"We don’t ask people for papers as it is not our job,” Billman said. “If someone is willing to work we’re gonna give them a 1098 form, they signed up on it, they gave paid and whether they pay their taxes that is their responsibility. We are worried that we are going to scrutiny over it if they come raid our fields as we don’t know whose legal or not because we don’t ask that.”


"My family and I can harvest by hand ourselves but the amount we need in order to cover that cost of growing we have to have much broader personnel than just family hands-on.”

source-https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/farmer-ice-raids-rio-grande-valley/

[Rebl2]

44. Zero sympathy

[usonian]

47. From the lovely FAFO collection:

More here.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219770873

My guess is that Farmer Nick would still vote for Trump.

[LisaM]

49. This particular guy did not say he voted for Trump.

Obviously the demographic did, but nowhere in this interviews was that asked or answered.

[Just Jerome]

51. Wait....

There are maga voters who can count to zero ?

YOU LIE !!!!

[Botany]

52. Hey Farmer Nick. The leopard says, "burp."

[democratsruletheday]

91. fuck farmers....

my Dad's side of the family used to be dairy farmers for many years and now they just grow crops but are maga all the way. Why wouldn't they be? Repukes have given them handouts (a.k.a. 'subsidies' for decades now) They are racist assholes, that vote their pocket book. Simple as that.

[Botany]

96. I hope they go bankrupt and have to sell their farms and equipment. And not one penny in government $ too.

What Krasnov did to the American sorghum farmers and our sorghum market the first time
around should have let them know he is an idiot. 90% of American sorghum was already
sold to China before it was even planted. FAFO.

[JustAnotherGen]

107. There's been a recent

Epidemic of obesity in the Global Leopard population.

[czarjak]

54. Lib-Ownership

You can't afford it!

[cstanleytech]

55. Any farmers that supported Trump should get zero Federal aid for any hardship relief that Congress passes to help.

[marble falls]

56. How much did they contribute to TACO???

[Upthevibe]

57. IrishBubbaLiberal..............

We can assume he voted for 45 but maybe he didn't. I feel bad for those who live in Red States but are Democrats through and through.

I was born and raised in TX but have lived in CA most of my adult life. Both of my nephews live in Austin and are VERY progressive as are four out of my five cousins (one and his family are right-wing religious extremists).

[CousinIT]

59. They voted for Trump because they new US taxpayers would bail them out. AGAIN.

They ought to wise up and stop voting Republican. Idiots.

THEY don't have to pay for their stupidity. WE DO. And that's why they never learn.

[Norrrm]

76. Bailout, socialism for farmers

[Aristus]

62. Kiss my ass, redneck.

You voted for this.

Hope you go bankrupt.

[Owens]

63. Why aren't the MAGAs lining up to get hired by him and other farmers?!?!

[republianmushroom]

66. Mustang 6 and The Potty Mouth Pundit says it all for me.

[maliaSmith]

67. Feds will prolly give the farmers some money

The real question is, will Trump's feds give farmers in blue voting states money also since Trump regime politicizes all funds going out of our government?

[Tree Lady]

72. Giving them money won't feed us

The food still needs to be grown and harvested.

[OC375]

69. Oh Well

Guess they will have to start paying real wages now, have non-indentured servant M-F work weeks most of the year, hire enough people to do all the work in a reasonable timeframe, pay benefits, etc?

If you can't do that, I'd suggest you don't really have a legitimate business model... or rather, you have no business, just a prettied-up plantation, and those went out with the 1800s.

[Traildogbob]

77. No fucks

These idiots vote for Trump, Abbott, Cruz and Paxton.
Thoughts and prayers as hurricane season is here and your cult eliminated Weather Satellite warning systems and FEMA.
Not gonna tell you my thought and prayer but take a guess.
These fools not only bring this hell on theirselves, but all of us.
So go shoot your damn crops while they rot and shoot hurricane, fires and tornados to protect your farms as you go broke. Like McConnell said to others losing health care, “You will get over it”.
Cruz will pray for you.

[Norrrm]

79. Texas MAGA farmers expected black people to come back and work the land,,,,, but not as landowners.

Texas MAGA Farmers Going Bankrupt..Now Blaming Democrats &Begging Black Folks To Work In Their Farms

[Traildogbob]

80. Let the Texas

Children that Abbott just vetoed school lunches to go into those fields and pick something to eat. Don’t let it rot. Who cares how hot it is, if they are hungry enough they will, as Mitch says, “Get over it”.
GQP Christian’s like MTG wants in Congress support this shit.

[BurnDoubt]

82. All those tears are REALLY bad for the crops.

You didn't see the back-end of your hatred coming to bite your Red State Ass.
Which of the Tech-Bros do you suppose will end-up owning your farm?

[Buddyzbuddy]

87. It's your own fault for not following Leon's example.

Have a bunch of kids by many women. You could have raised your own work force. Since the Republicans are trying to rid us of the burden of having schools for the children and lowering the working age for them, it would have worked out perfectly. Just like it was planned.

STUPID F.CKING REPUBLICANS!

[North Coast Lawyer]

92. Great

He should be happy -- he's getting exactly what he voted for.

[FloridaBlues]

95. The only thing that will take republicans down is bad poll numbers

Right now the republicans at large still support him but that will change when it hits hard in the wallet.
Just a matter of alittle time.
Unfortunately we all will suffer.

[RainCaster]

97. and I have zero fucks to give

Too bad, asshole, you voted for exactly what happened. Live with it

[wolfie001]

98. White folk are lining up by the hordes to get that big texASS pay

110 in the shade, no water breaks, fired for any reason whatsoever. The whole state is god awful.

[Jack Valentino]

99. THIS IS TRUMP, "bringing down the cost of groceries on Day One"

except he is making things worse

[Jack Valentino]

100. Texas farmer: Better start recruiting workers from those Texas GQP voters,

from whom the immigrants were stealing jobs!

I'm sure they will be anxious to apply for those "saved American jobs"!
just for the sake of "making America great again"!

GET TO WORK ON THOSE FARMS, Texas Trump voters!
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU--- ARE YOU LAZY FREELOADERS??

[RockRaven]

101. 4 out of 5 farmers voted to do this to themselves.

I feel bad for the 1 out of 5 who didn't vote for this, and all of us who are paying higher grocery prices.

But those 4 out of 5 farmers can fuck all the way off.

[leftwingnut1]

103. A little off topic, but can't help myself

I wonder how Devin Nunes is doing? Were his cows properly registered to vote?

[Aussie105]

108. Zero workers?

Well, at least you can bask in the warmth of the idea that you have no illegals anywhere near you.
Task completed, problem solved!

Of course, if you imagined hordes of Anglo-Saxon type workers straight out of high school would fill the gap for the wages the immigrant workers worked for you are sadly mistaken.

Sorry. Trump didn't thing that far ahead, did he?