Brazilian programmer Amanda B.*, 28, was one of the foreigners who decided to go to California, in the United States, and live the harsh routine of a “trimmigrant”. They are responsible for harvesting and trimming marijuana for months on illegal farms across the US state.
Recreational use has been allowed in the territory since 2018, and only people over 21 can consume. However, due to the high fees and licenses imposed on legal producers, the informal market grows every year.
Known as Emerald Triangle (“Emerald Triangle”), the area is responsible for being the largest marijuana producing region on American soil, attracting immigrants who want to make a lot of money in a short time.
Amanda earned between $100 and $150 a day in the five weeks she worked there. Despite the good money, she doesn’t recommend the experience – which is a crime – to anyone. People caught by the police can be deported or expelled from the US and even answer for the crime in Brazil.
US authorities have been taking action against illegal marijuana farms. According to official data and 2021 balance sheets from the California Department of Justice, the state government eradicated 1.2 million marijuana plants and seized 81 tons of the drug. In 491 police operations, 165 weapons were seized. The government does not say how many people were arrested.
“You see people sitting on sidewalks with signs looking for marijuana farms. Farmers are driving around town,” he tells BBC News Brasil.
abusive work
Like them, the programmer also went in search of this promise, as she needed to move to Europe in the same year and did not have enough financial resources. Unlike many who seek the region of the “Emerald Triangle” to start work, she was in the city of Santa Cruz. “It’s not such a safe thing to do. There are a lot of people from Europe and Mexico. I only went because a friend had already been there a few times”, she says.
With the help of this friend, she embarked for the USA and as the activity is not regulated, she entered the country on a tourist visa, went through the cities of California and then arrived at the plantation.
When she arrived at the marijuana farm in Santa Cruz, Amanda already knew that the “lodging” was not going to be the best. However, she didn’t expect such precarious conditions as she found in the one she stayed in.
Sharing the space with six other people, including Brazilians and foreigners, she says that they needed to sleep in tents and running water was only for one person. Peeing and pooping were also very difficult tasks. “I pooped in a bucket and peed on the floor. Baths were also in buckets”, she recalls. There was also no cell phone signal, internet or hot water.
Even in the cold, the only trailer that could serve as a shelter was inhabited by rats at night. There, there was a cooler, in which they could leave some groceries to freeze. There are farms, according to her, where working conditions are a little better, but almost none offer a good environment to stay.
Expenses are also minimal, as “trimmigrants” do not pay per stay and only need to buy groceries. The trip to the market was done as discreetly as possible, as any carelessness could give rise to a complaint to the police. The preparation involved showering, changing clothes, and thoroughly cleaning the nails, which had turned black from the marijuana trimming process. “The fingers turn black from the hashish,” he says.
Harvest, dry and trim
Generally, farm owners start growing marijuana throughout the year and don’t need many employees for the job. In the autumn season in the country, the harvest begins and there are job offers on the plantations.
Lastly is the trimming process, which removes the cannabis leaves close to the flowers, known as buds. It is at this stage that farmers recruit more people, as the work takes hours. “We harvest, let it dry and pick up the branches. But the main thing is to trim the marijuana”, says Amanda.
The routine had little rest: she would wake up early, drink coffee and start the process. Breaks only occurred for meals, going to the bathroom and sleeping at night.
During harvest, producers usually pay US$80 per hour of work. When they trim, the values ​​vary between US$ 120 and US$ 150 for half a kilo of trimmed marijuana.
As she didn’t have much experience, the Brazilian took around 12 hours a day to reach this goal. The more experienced ones used to do the work in up to eight hours. Amanda also says that the service was well organized and even had a kind of manager, writing down all the weights and values.
According to her, the owner of the place was just over 30 years old and made a lot of money from the “business”. He even managed another larger farm. “It’s absurdly a lot of money. The labor there is very cheap. For Brazilians who earn in dollars it sounds wonderful, but for the people there it’s not really worth it”, she emphasizes.
danger and death
Even though she didn’t go through any violent or extreme risk situations, she says she wouldn’t go if she wasn’t in the company of her friend.
Many farms offer work to the immigrant, but during the harvest and trimming process, many of them suffer moral and sexual harassment and various embarrassments.
It is very common to hear reports of missing persons, signs asking when he was last seen and other situations.
She also says that she heard stories of women who were forced by the plantation owners to work without the top of their clothes with a gun pointed at their face. In these cases, as the work is illegal, there is not much to do and turning to the police is not a viable option.
In a difficult situation, the Brazilian and the other “trimmigrants” were almost caught by the American police. When they were working, a corporation helicopter flew over the place and everyone started hiding in trees. The practice occurred with some frequency, but when they told the owner, they were told that the agents never came back.
Fights and broken mental health
At first, the Brazilian wanted to spend two months on the marijuana plantations. But even though I thought I could handle it without any problem, the mental fatigue outweighed the physical. She says that only in the first week of harvest did she feel her body.
According to Amanda, it is not very difficult to see people fighting each other over money or having serious mental problems after work or even during the journey. “I thought I just wanted my money and get out of there. They said that the mental was shaken, but I didn’t believe it. People get a little crazy”, she says.
Strange situations were also experienced by the Brazilian. His group started fighting among themselves and the atmosphere got worse and worse. As the intention was to stay for two months, she said that she tried to hold on a little longer, but her stay became unsustainable. Even trying to move to a bigger farm, there was no more vacancy, she gave up her job and returned to Brazil.
Although she got half the amount, she says the experience was very different from anything she’s been through in her life. “The emotional part is the one that gets the most. The rest I managed well”, she says. However, those who work on the plantations for periods of two or three months can earn a good value, according to the programmer.
Asked if she would go again, she is categorical in her answer: no. “I will be able to tell this to my grandchildren. But it is a very greedy, competitive environment and there are people who get carried away. The person is in the middle of a lot of bad things”, she says.
She also points out that she does not advise anyone to go without knowing someone close to the place or “just for the experience”, as it can be very dangerous. “I was in a safe environment and I felt safe. But most people are afraid,” she concludes.
* The programmer’s name has been withheld to protect her identity.
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I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
