This post was updated Feb. 4 at 9:40 p.m.

Odalis Rojas grew up in an agricultural community in Ventura County, where she saw her farm worker father, uncles and cousins face various health care barriers.

Rojas, a second-year nursing student, now supports farm workers like them through Compas – a UCLA student-run organization dedicated to advocating for California’s farm worker communities.

“My dad doesn’t have insurance,” she said. “He can’t receive the adequate health care he deserves. So when I found out about Compas, I was so excited to see that there’s a community here at UCLA that actually advocates and cares for farm workers.”

Compas, which was founded in 2020, provides California farm worker communities with resources related to health care, English language education and occupational safety. California produces the most agricultural products of any state in the country, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Compas members hosted a health fair Jan. 24 for farm workers and their families in Ventura County. The student organization held the event – which served 56 community members – with local partners, including Ventura County Public Health, Ventura County Workforce Development Board and Gold Coast Health Plan.

Health fair attendees received free pulse, glucose and blood pressure checks, body mass index measurements, anemia screenings and one-on-one consultations with a UCLA Health physician, said Star Garcia, a co-health education director for Compas.

Volunteers also provided basic needs care packages, school supplies, career advising and Medi-Cal application information for farm workers and their children, Garcia, a fourth-year biology student, added.

Alexandra Vazquez, a co-health education director for Compas, said her uncles are farm workers who pick avocados and oranges in Fillmore, California. Vasquez, a third-year biology student, added that her close ties to farm workers have motivated her to support them, including through the health fair – which she invited her family to.

“Being part of this club has helped me connect more with my family, connect more with the farm worker community and also paying more attention to issues that are more prominent now, and especially to the community that is being more attacked right now,” she said.

Many farm workers are immigrants, and therefore are particularly vulnerable amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, said Jacob Thene, a co-administrative director for Compas. Thene, a third-year business economics and geography student, said he believes increased fears of deportation could also allow employers to exploit farm workers’ labor.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have conducted large-scale raids in California and several parts of the country during President Donald Trump’s second term. The agencies have repeatedly defied court orders, according to Politico.

Federal agents have targeted California farms as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, according to NPR. About half of the estimated 255,700 farmworkers in California do not have legal status, according to a UC Merced study.

Compas student leaders are working with the Kern County Rapid Response Network and other immigrant support organizations to spread awareness about how to deal with immigration enforcement situations, said Sarai Ceceña, a co-administrative director of Compas.

Climate change and extreme heat have also negatively impacted farm workers, Thene said. This has inspired Compas volunteers to provide hats and water bottles to California farm workers, he added.

“Climate … is a major factor,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot more 100 degree days as time goes on, in the Central Valley and across the state.”

Members of Compas are continuing to plan events – including care kit distributions, as well as labor-focused guest speakers and rallies, Ceceña said.

“Hopefully we can continue this work for many years to come, because it’s super important, and I think it had a huge effect on whoever came,” Vazquez said.