SANTA MARIA — On Sunday, March 30, the Santa Maria community peacefully rallied alongside farmworkers and allies, standing firm to demand dignity — not just for their labor but for their humanity. Everyone, no matter where they were born, deserves respect, fair wages, and the opportunity to live without fear.
“We are all here today united to use our voices to fight back against the deportations. We are fighting for our kids; we are fighting for ourselves because we are all essential and deserve the right to live safely, without fear,” said Gabriela Vivar, Farmworker Leader with Alianza Campesina.
Photos ourtesy of Alianza Campesina.
Alianza Campesina de la Costa Central (Alianza Campesina) is a partnership between CAUSE and MICOP that empowers farmworkers across California’s Central Coast to organize for their rights and fight for dignified working conditions.
Farmworkers face immense hardships on the job, from injuries and hazardous climate conditions to pesticide exposure—all while struggling to survive on low wages. Now, with the recent anti-immigrant policies, the fight for farmworker justice has reached a critical moment. In addition to enduring dangerous and grueling work, many now live in constant fear, as federal policies threaten to separate them from their families and strip away everything they’ve worked for in the country they call home.
“Today, farmworkers, allies, supporters, and the general community are choosing to channel the fear that has been widely felt into power. We are fighting back and calling on our elected representatives to fight with us whether it’s the Santa Maria City Council creating a safer haven for our undocumented community or the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors passing a living wage for farmworkers. The time is now,” Erica Diaz-Cervantes, Senior Policy Advocate with CAUSE.
Alianza Campesina, a coalition of farmworkers and community leaders, urges elected officials—our City Council, County Board of Supervisors, and State Representatives—to prioritize the well-being of farmworkers and take immediate action.
“Indigenous people of Turtle Island have endured centuries of persecution under laws designed to dehumanize, intimidate, and strip us of our fundamental rights. Today, systemic oppression continues— our immigrant labor is exploited to feed others, yet we are denied dignity, fair wages, respect, and justice. When our labor is no longer useful, we are cast aside and treated as if we don’t belong. But we are not the trespassers. It is time to reclaim our narrative: the true trespassers are those who stole this land through violence and now dare to call us ‘illegal.’ This is the legacy of white supremacy and colonialism, and we must dismantle it. No one is illegal on stolen land.” said Arcenio Lopez, Executive Director of the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project.
As part of this movement, Alianza Campesina organized a peaceful march in honor of César Chávez Day to demand fair wages, dignity, and safety for farmworkers and immigrant communities. Photos from the march can be found here courtesy of Alianza Campesina.
Human lives are not illegal; every human deserves dignity, respect, and the right to a life without fear. Being undocumented or an immigrant means always living in fear. We’ve normalized fear and now is the time to change that. We must say no to deportations & say no to fear. As Alianza Campesina, we recognize and demand systemic change and call upon those in power to protect our farmworking communities. Listen to us when we say ‘El pueblo unido jamás será vencido.’