Fear of deportation grips undocumented women on California's farms

At this time of the year, Maria should be hard at work picking grapes in California’s Central Valley, a crop so huge that it typically takes tens of thousands of workers to harvest.

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This year, however, she is staying away from the vast vineyards, terrified of being arrested and deported in federal immigration raids targeting undocumented farm workers across the country.

While most of those being apprehended are men, the consequences can be devastating for families when the women who care for them are arrested.

Women carry the bulk of responsibilities for children and elderly relatives, and deportation can mean leaving behind young or vulnerable family members who need their support.

"I’m very scared," said Maria, 45, whose name has been changed because she is undocumented and who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Her two children, ages 10 and 20, have hearing disabilities that hamper their ability to communicate.