Four blueberry farmworkers were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near Woodburn, Oregon, on August 7, according to advocacy groups. The three men and one woman, identified as Indigenous Guatemalans, were traveling to work on a blueberry farm near Canby.
The arrests occurred during peak blueberry harvest, a key period for both worker earnings and grower operations. In 2024, Oregon farmworkers harvested nearly 153 million pounds of blueberries, according to the Oregon Blueberry Commission. Marion County, where the arrests took place, is the state's most agriculturally productive county.
Reyna Lopez, executive director of PCUN, Oregon's farmworker union, said the arrests have created a "chilling effect in the community" and that workers have been questioning whether it is safe to go to work. She said she did not know why ICE targeted those individuals. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to requests for additional information.
Oregon Blueberry Commission administrator Bryan Ostlund said an undocumented workforce has been a longstanding reality in the Willamette Valley and described the arrests as frustrating. He noted that agriculture, restaurants, and construction all depend on immigrant labor. He added that the need for a legal pathway for workers has been discussed for decades without substantial policy action.
"It's times like this, and not just this action that took place last week, but the broader nature of agriculture as we see it in California and Florida and other places, that illustrate the need for a pathway to citizenship," Ostlund said. He emphasized the need for a system to legally bring workers from other countries to complete agricultural work.
Lopez said the arrests followed recent reports of ICE activity at local apartment complexes in Salem. While federal officials say they focus deportations on serious criminals, outside analyses show fewer than half of immigrants arrested in early 2025 had criminal convictions. Lopez noted that even when a specific person is targeted, others may also be detained.
PCUN has seen increased interest from community members wanting to support immigrants, with volunteer opportunities available through groups such as the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition and Oregon for All.
Lopez expressed concern that the arrests could impact the remainder of the blueberry harvest, affecting both worker and grower incomes. "There's a lot of concern about the safety of the community," she said. "It is very traumatizing."
Source: Salem Reporter
