“The current treatment of Hispanic farmers by the Obama administration is both shameful and insulting.  Does the Administration really expect enthusiastic support from Hispanic farmers during the upcoming election year while it continues to deny us justice and offers us a settlement proposal that is discriminatory on its face?” explains Lupe Garcia of Las Cruces, NM, President of Hispanic Farmers and Ranchers of America Inc. and lead plaintiff in the Garcia lawsuit.

The Obama Administration continues to offer Hispanic farmers a process for resolving these claims that is substantially and procedurally less favorable and more burdensome than the claims process provided African American farmers who timely complained of identical discrimination by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”).  In fact the Hispanic claims process is even less favorable and more onerous than the process provided African American farmers who filed late claims.