Giving Compass' Take:

• The New Food Economy profiles a 49-year-old nonprofit interpreter and former migrant, who helps non-English-speaking farm workers navigate complex immigration laws.

• Reading this story may help us all better understand the perspectives of those immigrating to the U.S. from other countries. How might this inform policies and advocacy work?

• This is part of a series from The New Food Economy about immigrant food workers. Read another one here.


Fausto Sanchez, age 49, is a community worker for California Rural Legal Assistance, a nonprofit serving farm workers and other low-wage workers, regardless of immigration status. A trained interpreter and native speaker of Mixtec, a complex group of languages native to the Southeastern states of Mexico — including Oaxaca, Pueblo, and Guerrera — he’s a key support figure for non-English-speaking farm workers, making sure they understand their rights and can get help they need.

The work is personal for Sanchez. After emigrating to the U.S. from Oaxaca, he saw first-hand how strenuous field work can be, and how hard it can be for immigrant farm workers to find good advocates. Though undocumented workers are ubiquitous in food production, many fear they cannot demand rights and services they are entitled to — from minimum wage to federal food assistance — without fear of retaliation.

Today, Sanchez is himself a citizen. He told the story of why he came to America, how he’s built a better life for his children, and why he works on behalf of those who are voiceless, unable to navigate the complex laws and customs of a new country on their own.

Many [undocumented] people don’t know their rights — they don’t know that they have the right to interpreters, the right to redress workplace grievances like injuries or wage compensation. I like helping people recover their wages, helping people find justice.

Read the full article about the Mexican immigrant who helps others navigate the system by Danielle Renwick at The New Food Economy.