DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — Immigration reform was just one of the issues raised during the first lady's visit to Delano. The day was focused on farmworkers and the task of vaccinating the roughly 800,000 in California. It's estimated half of them are here illegally, fighting for the right to stay.
Away from the crowds there to see the first lady, a father and son stood desperate to get her attention. Not even a language barrier deterred them from sharing what it's been like as an undocumented immigrant working in the grape fields of California for the past 14 years.
This father and son are hopeful their words will lead to them being allowed to live and work in the country they now consider home.
"It's sad and painful for everyone in the same situation as me," the father said. "Because we all know how hard it is to see someone we love die and not being able to see them."
The father explained how his wife died and he was unable to go back to Mexico. The same situation occurred when he lost his mother.
"As President, Joe is fighting for those who often go unseen," first lady Dr. Jill Biden said during her visit to Delano's Forty Acres site. "He believes that our work must always be guided by justice and humanity."
As the Biden administration grapples with a growing number of children trying to enter the United States from Mexico, the House will vote this week on immigration reform.
