On the mist-wreathed slopes of Mauna Loa, where the earth is rich with volcanic memory and the Pacific glimmers in the distance, a coveted coffee — Kona — is coaxed from the soil.
Nurtured by the Island of Hawaii’s unique mingling of abundant sunshine, afternoon rain and lava-infused soil, Kona coffee retails for more than $30 for an eight-ounce bag. With a devoted following around the world, the distinct coffee has been a point of pride for the Big Island, and for the thousands of immigrants from Latin America who for decades have handpicked the beans in the Kona fields.
Now the fate of many of those immigrant workers is uncertain, as is the future of the island’s coffee industry.
Locked gates and labor shortages: How ICE raids are transforming Hawaii’s coffee country
Miriam Jordan spoke with a coffee grower who said farmers were predicting significant crop losses as a result of recent immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has reached this remote, rugged island a 45-minute flight from Honolulu.
Federal agents have flown in several times since February, most recently last week, often remaining for days as they search for undocumented immigrants among the 200,000 or so people who live on the island.
