Local temporary workers’ shopping trip turned into false alarm

Vanessa and Jose Gomez, Mexican Americans, have been bringing immigrant workers to Indiana to work in the local pumpkin patches and melon fields since 2014.

Their company, Florida-based Gomello Harvesting, also supplies temporary workers in Georgia, South Carolina, and other states. Most of their workers are Mexican because of the Gomez’s background as well as the costs associated with acquiring the workers, which include transportation, housing and visa expenses.

Annually, the company receives applicants from countries further away, like China, Russia, and Brazil, but declines them simply because of the costs they incur to employ them.

“Mexico is simply the closest country that works with the H-2A program,” Mrs. Gomez said.

The H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program allows US employers to temporarily hire foreign workers for agricultural jobs when there is a shortage of US workers. The program is designed to provide a legal way for foreign workers to come to the US to perform essential work and earn more than they could in their home country.

Gomello Harvesting is required by law to advertise its positions to US workers before offering them to individuals in the H-2A program. “I am required to respond and offer a position to any US applicant,” Mrs. Gomez said. ‘And I have, but no one has ever shown up for the position.”

They either get U.S. applicants and no one shows up, or they don’t get any applicants when they advertise those positions.

Then, they go to the H-2A program. It’s highly regulated, according to Mrs. Gomez.

“We work with Homeland Security. They get background checks on the Mexico side and they get background checks on the US side,” Mrs. Gomez explained. “And if they have any type of criminal record on either side, they’re not allowed to cross.”

In Indiana, the company owns a state-licensed agricultural camp in Daviess County that houses the temporary workers until late October. Their facility is only approved for male workers–if they hired women, they would have to create co-ed facilities.

Each week, the company is required to take its workers shopping.

“We usually try to go to Washington, but they were just in the area and wanted to go somewhere new,” Mrs. Gomez explained. “They were just shopping at the Walmart.”

All of her workers returned to Daviess County. “I can guarantee that they all got back on the bus,” Mrs. Gomez said. “I am in the field looking at them now.”

If someone leaves them, they report it to Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A social media post promoted a different scenario. The post mentioned 60 Venezuelan men being dropped off at Walmart on Friday and had apartments available to move into. The allegation included a statement that a Jasper detective had confirmed the report. Jasper Detective Greg Brescher says he did not confirm anything, but when he started receiving notifications about the post, he did begin looking into it.

And, the connection to conflicting stories about gangs in Colorado was apparent as it drove a fear-based response.

However, an image of one of the alleged buses had the Gomello Harvesting stamp on its side, along with all of their federally and state-mandated postings for their legal workers.

“I currently have 269 employees in the State of Indiana, and at this point, I am a little worried about their safety,” Mrs. Gomez said, adding they weren’t the only company with temporary workers in the area.

The couple stands by the employees they hire and their company practices. Though some farmers bring in their own seasonal workers, Gomello Harvesting provides an important service to local farmers each growing season as a middleman to supply the labor for their crops.

“A lot of farmers aren’t wanting to do it themselves because of the paperwork involved,” Mrs. Gomez said.

Once the season is over, the workers go back home. Many come back year after year.

“Honestly, this is hard work and they have to be away from their families so if they can’t tough it out, we don’t invite them back,” Mrs. Gomez said.

She explained that their workers are 19 to 40 years old and have deep connections back home. “These are guys who aren’t going to betray the program, betray the company and leave in the middle of the night,” Mrs. Gomez said. “They have their whole lives back there. They want to return home.”

Mrs. Gomez acknowledged that the news out of Colorado is concerning. “It scares me, it really does,” she said. “But I can vouch for my guys.”

In response to the post that created the fervor, the City of Jasper released this statement.

In recent days, there have been numerous residents inquiring with Jasper Police officials and City of Jasper Offices concerning allegations of undocumented immigrants being bused into the City of Jasper. Specifically, we have received complaints/allegations of groups of individuals being dropped within the City at such locations as the parking lots on the north side near Walmart, Ross Dress for Less and Hibbett Sports. The City would be concerned with housing arrangements for such a massive influx of people. Accordingly, the City has investigated these claims. The City’s investigation revealed nothing more than standard business ongoing at these locations during the alleged period of time. There were no facts revealed to substantiate the claims. Furthermore, had the claims been true, undoubtedly social media videos and posts would have revealed evidence of such activities. Finally, interviews were conducted with local business owners and those interviews revealed no facts to substantiate the allegations. The snowball effect and panic that has been expressed by residents is not currently justified.