Hundreds of migrant workers head to Kearney for seasonal work
KEARNEY — Gilberto Mancilla Rodriguez opened his cell phone and listed the family members in one of his photos: wife Gisela and daughters Samantha and Yamileth.
Rodriguez wore a proud smile, but like other migrant workers gathered Saturday night at Kearney's Dryden Park, the separation from family and friends can be hard to bear, so it helps knowing his earnings from rouging and detasseling will help back home in Mexico.
The men were hired by Gulf Citrus Harvesting Corp. of Florida to clear volunteer plants from cornfields. Later they will detassel seed corn.
The 71 workers who gathered at Dryden Park are the first in several waves of Mexican field workers that Gulf Citrus is sending to the Kearney area. The past two years Gulf Citrus workers labored in the Grand Island and Hastings areas, according to Juan Tamayo, a supervisor with Gulf Citrus.
In addition to the workers who have already arrived, another group of 100 will be in Kearney in mid-July. Tamayo said every room in Kearney's Western Inn is booked to accommodate the temporary workers who are H-2A visa holders.
Tamayo has arranged for food trucks to feed his crews.
The H-2A visa program allows American farmers to legally hire seasonal laborers. Gulf Citrus crews will be in the Kearney area until October and will be earning $18.32 per hour.
Saturday evening, the men were invited by a number of service organizations and businesses to a picnic at Dryden Park to learn about services they might need during the few months they'll be working in the Kearney area.
Educational Service Unit 9 of Hastings organized the event, which included an appearance by Gabriel Razo of the Mexico Consulate in Omaha.
"It is very important for us to meet with our constituents," Razo said.
Among others who greeted the workers were bankers from FNBO, Kearney's eFree Church, ESU 9, Two Rivers Public Health and mental health representatives from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Ita Mendoza grew up in Mexico City. Today she works with ESU 9's Migrant Education Program, which organized Saturday's gathering.
Among other things, the ESU Migrant Education Program helps families keep up on their children's dental and physical health and stay active in school. Getting an education can be a challenge because kids often disconnect from school when their parents move to follow harvests.
Mendoza said Americans might confuse what migrant workers are doing in the United States.
"People associate 'migrant' with 'immigration,'" Mendoza said. "We know these workers' presence is a positive effect in the community."
Saturday's gathering was an opportunity for eFree bilingual Pastor Pablo Domingues to introduce himself. He said he spoke with four workers who are interested in attending Sunday services.
Rosemary Lopez and Edgar Boteo of FNBO said they wanted to help migrants with their banking.
"We're here to educate the workers," Lopez said. "You don't need a Social Security number to open an account."
Boteo said the migrants might be paying fees unnecessarily when they cash paper checks, so he wants to show them how to avoid the fees.
More than 30 migrants signed up with UNMC's Bienvenido or "Welcome" mental health program.
"The plan is to do five sessions," said Natalia Trinidad from UNMC's College of Public Health.
Bienvenido will inform participants about various mental health topics, including how to manage anger and deal with emotions.
UNMC offered Bienvenido in Hastings and Grand Island last year.
"We ask them how they're doing. This is our sixth group," Trinidad said.
Tamayo said his workers appreciated the hospitality and learning about services they might need.
"It was very good," Tamayo said. "Everybody appreciated the information that was shared. It was good."
