The Story from APM

The Fight to Farm

Monday, July 27 2009

The fight to farm

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin

Only about two and a half percent of American farms are owned by Latinos. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin thinks that has a lot to do with discrimination.

Regi grew up farming in the Guatemalan rain forest, learning about beans, bananas, coffee and many other crops from his father. He went to a top agricultural school in Guatemala. Then he met his wife Amy, an American who was volunteering in Guatemala. They moved to Minnesota and Regi began to work towards his dream of owning his own farm. Regi has faced significant obstacles. He's now running a non-profit that helps other Latino farmers get started on the land. Janet Babin talks with Regi about growing up in the lush rain forest, his new life in Minnesota surrounded by corn fields, and the farm that still eludes him.

• Learn more about the Rural Enterprise Center

Don't Stay and Don't Go

Last year's immigration raid at Howard Industries in Mississippi remains the largest such raid in American history. Flor was among those picked up at the plant that day. She's now wearing an ankle bracelet that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to monitor her movement while she awaits a hearing that could lead to her deportation. Flor is from Mexico, but her children were born in the U.S. She'd rather leave voluntarily, but Flor has been told she can't leave the state. She talks to Dick Gordon about the day of the raid, her hopes for the future, and how she and her husband are getting by financially while they wait. This story originally aired on February 11, 2009.

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