08/21/2025 UFW Condemns Latest Raid at Lynn-Ette Farms

Rochester, NY - On the morning of Thursday, August 14th, federal immigration agents conducted a raid at Lynn-Ette Farms in Upstate New York, taking away 7 workers who are now in immigration detention. This is the second time that federal immigration agents have targeted workers at Lynn-Ette Farms, where the UFW has been actively organizing workers since 2022 and is the certified bargaining representative. Earlier this year, in May, a similar federal raid on Lynn-Ette resulted in 14 workers being detained. 10 of those workers were ultimately deported, while 4 were able to secure release on bond with the UFW's assistance. During the raid on August 14, federal agents briefly detained and interrogated another worker who had already been detained in May and secured release, generating additional stress.

In response to this latest attack on Lynn-Ette workers, UFW Secretary Treasurer Armando Elenes released the following statement:

"Once again, workers at Lynn Ette farms were targeted. Once again, multiple workers were taken. And once again, business as usual continues for Lynn-Ette's owners and management. A legally-binding union contract has already been awarded at Lynn Ette by a NY State-appointed arbitrator, yet Lynn Ette is defying the law and refusing to implement this union contract. The UFW ensures that agricultural employers under UFW contract take every lawful measure to protect the constitutional rights of their entire workforce, regardless of legal status. This is yet another way that workers at Lynn-Ette would clearly benefit from the union contract that they are entitled to. In addition, several of the workers who were deported following the federal raid in May have yet to receive their final paychecks. These immigration-related issues come on top of the long-standing reports of harsh conditions, abusive treatment, and poor wages that inspired the UFW unionization drive at Lynn-Ette farms in the first place.

With yet more worker families shattered, the UFW demands an end to federal raids targeting agricultural workers, an end to what we see as shameful employer complicity in the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate legal protections and lower wages for farm workers, and the immediate implementation of the lawful union contract at Lynn-Ette."

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