Over the past year, local Navajo farm board president Dineh Benally has overseen the creation of a vast network of industrial-scale black-market cannabis farms that now stretch across the Shiprock Chapter. Over 1,000 workers from predominantly Chinese neighborhoods in Los Angeles and New York have arrived on the reservation to manage and work the farms.
A Navajo court issued a temporary restraining order on September 18th, ordering the closure of the farms, and on October 28th the tribal government filed aagainst 33 Navajo farmers who had leased their land to cannabis growers. Still, five farms remain in operation, Francisco said, and a steady stream of workers continues to process the plants.
Wang, a former restaurant worker in California, moved to the U.S. from China’s Hubei Province in 2014. Like many of the 1,000 or so Chinese laborers who came to New Mexico this year, he learned about the work opportunity through a friend. Other workers were recruited through “job agencies” in East Los Angeles and Queens, New York. Labor advocates say that these agencies are common in Chinese immigrant communities and often serve to entrap workers in exploitative jobs.
“These clients are at a disadvantage because they don’t have the luxury of being able to talk to us about their case,” Field said, adding that the Public Defender’s Office will represent only one of the 17 workers. The rest of them will be represented by private attorneys.Courtesy of Searchlight New Mexico
SearchlightNM and SearchlightNM should have investigated the San Juan County Sheriffs office instead of a what-should-be-legal marijuana operation. This piece is biased considering current NM Governor supports legalizing marijuana and the pro-trump sheriffs dont support the gov.
SearchlightNM Marijuana isn't illegal, Trump is VoteBlueToEndTheNightmare VoteBidenHarris2020
SearchlightNM MarijuanaIsDope
SearchlightNM Why is our government still wasting money and manpower hours on marijuana? Legalize it nationwide and worry about more important things. Incredible.
SearchlightNM Maybe they should rewrite the court order to allow them to grow.
SearchlightNM 🙄
SearchlightNM Navajo Nation is sovereign and allowed to grow marijuana. The Feds need to back down. New Mexico is okay with it.
SearchlightNM Law enforcement just can’t stop going after weed.....
SearchlightNM Let them be, we've taken enough
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