For Another Land

For Another Land – The Hidden World of Mexican H-2A Seasonal Farmworkers in North Carolina

For Another Land follows the lives of Mexican H-2A Seasonal Farmworkers during their annual journey between rural Eastern North Carolina and their homes in Central Mexico. North Carolina hosts roughly 10% of the 300,000 H-2A Farmworkers nationwide annually. Over the past decade, the H-2A Visa has emerged as the primary form of entry for Mexican migrants entering the United States in search of economic opportunity, expanding by over 300% since 2012. An inherent duality defines the experience of seasonal farmworkers as they navigate 6-10 months of living and working on American farms. Despite spending most of the year in the US, these individuals maintain their identity by forming social groups with others from the same town or region within the worker group, which ranges from a few workers to a crew of 70 or 80 men. Often, siblings or fathers and sons are members of the same worker group, adding to the kinship within a given crew. Yet, the actual connection is with loved ones in Mexico. Farmworkers are in constant contact with wives and children and often talk longingly about the places they know only half the time. During their time in the US, H-2A Farmworkers are pushed by an inertia that tracks a blinding sun and drawn forward by thoughts of home as the hours are extracted laboring in the field. All have a collective goal: waking up on the day they can return to their beloved Mexico.