The United Farmworkers Union projects

The United Farmworkers Union in Calexico had its first meeting to help farm workers while they wait to go to work in the United States

CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - This morning a historic meeting took place at the United Farmer Union in Calexico.

Many organizations attended, including the national Vice President of United Farm Workers (UFW) Lauro Barajas.

Many farm workers have to wait hours to cross the border in order to work in the United States and when they cross the border an additional wait. Some sleep in the cold and others in their cars.

The international vice president of United Farm Workers says the purpose of this meeting is to propose two projects that will help farm workers not wait long hours at the border and have a place where they can sleep while waiting to work.

“People that cross at one or two in the morning are people who feed this county and they pick the fruit and vegetables, but they come at two in the morning and are waiting four hours laying on cardboards... enduring the cold and we need to pay it forward for those people,” said Lauro Barajas.

The National Vice President of UFW says they hope to work with both sides of the border.

“It has to be on both sides... and I think more important is on this side of the border... I hear that students have formula that help them pass the border faster... farmworkers are feeding this county that is important too," said Lauro Barajas.

Coming from parents who are farm workers the secretary of Imperial county Democratic Central Committee Bryan Vega is proud to start these projects.

“I am very excited, I am very optimistic about the future, I feel like it is something that does not come to mind when you think about the Imperial valley when you think about los campesinos,” said Bryan Vega.

The projects are set to start next year and hope to help as many farmworkers as they can.