Mexico’s farm laborers face hardship, abuse

At the end of the day, Roma tomatoes are ready for transport in Cristo Rey in the state of Sinaloa. Half the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. come from Mexico.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Laborers load broccoli at a farm in Vista Hermosa, Michoacan. Broccoli is not typically featured in Mexican cuisine, so much of the harvest is exported to the U.S.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Broccoli is harvested in Vista Hermosa, Michoacan. No restrooms are provided for farmworkers.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Laborers at Campo San Emilio, Sinaloa, sleep in their windowless rooms on vegetable crates and scraps of cardboard. Juan Hernandez, far right, wanted to visit his ailing wife in Veracruz. “But if I leave, I lose everything,” he says.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

After a long day of work, laborers crowd in the bed of an open truck.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

International Greenhouse Produce operates one of the largest contiguous greenhouse complexes in North America.   (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)