The H-2A visa program, a successor to the historic Bracero program, has become a centerpiece in the ongoing debate over the agricultural workforce in the United States. Annually, this program brings more than 300,000 temporary foreign agricultural workers to the U.S. Their contributions are tremendously important in helping to keep our farming community thriving. Labor shortages, exploitation and the over-reliance on undocumented workers are enormous challenges. These concerns further muddy the waters on this already sensitive topic involving this critical workforce for American agriculture.
As a result, in 2019 the Department of Labor published a proposal to significantly revise some long-standing regulations that govern the H-2A program. That proposal ultimately failed. The H-2A program allows these foreign workers to come fill important roles in U.S. agriculture. First, it requires employers to demonstrate that they’ve done due diligence to hire local, and pay prevailing wages that exceed the minimum standard. Further, this new structure is meant to serve as a complement to local workers. It makes certain that the program builds upon their work rather than supplanting it.
The Role of H-2A Workers in Agriculture
This is because H-2A workers are essential to all sectors of agriculture. In fact, they are the major players on the East Coast in apple production. Crist Bros Orchards will be preparing to house more than 150 H-2A workers by the end of this year. This is evident in the critical role that these workers have played in maintaining day-to-day operations.
Crist, a farm owner, stated, “providing labor that allows us to have a farm 70 miles north of New York City, and provide food in the United States, and employ people year-round.” Without these workers, he added, “we would certainly not be farming apples. My guess is that this would probably be houses.”
Flavio Vázquez, an H-2A worker from Morelos, Mexico, spoke about the economic benefits of his work in the U.S. In packing apples, he more than doubles his per-hour earnings in one hour than what he would have earned in a day back home. The urgency with which Centro Campesino’s workers sought avenues for opportunity is the same urgency that drives so many agricultural workers.
Carmelo Mendez is a typical H-2A worker making $17.70/hour. He hopes this new wage will significantly improve the quality of life for his entire family. “Without this guest worker program,” he asserted, “I believe agriculture in the US would decline a lot because people there don’t want to do the work.”
Local Impact and Community Dynamics
The arrival of those new H-2A workers does create a positive net impact on local economies. Field, a community advocate, stated, “These are people who are working, making money, spending money in our communities, and paying taxes. Talk about a revitalization of Rural America if they made it easier for them to come here and stay with their families.”
Despite these benefits, the program is not without its controversies. The Economic Policy Institute has raised alarms about the potential for exploitative practices and the muffling of migrant workers. Critics caution that expanding the use of H-2A workers would ironically do more to eliminate year-round jobs. These jobs would offer stable, family-supporting incomes to community members.
Rosalinda Guillen, a farm union leader, expressed her concerns regarding the treatment of agricultural workers: “The situation of agriculture workers in the US is really bad already, but what they’re going to do is legalize this oppression.” Her solution is for policymakers to give undocumented workers permanent legal status so that they can safely live in and contribute more fully to their communities. Instead, they appear to favor H-2A workers, who lack similar protections.
Legislative and Political Implications
The debate around the H-2A program is breaking Republican ranks. Agricultural communities are fighting acute labor shortages at the same time that they are being upended by immigration policies. Investigate Midwest Agriculture voters in the 2024 elections were resolutely pro-Trump—nearly 80%, as Investigate Midwest reported. Yet as this demographic becomes inextricably dependent on H-2A labor, their political dynamic is further complicated as they are pitted against each other.
Carlos Marentes, an advocate for immigrant rights, has spoken out widely against these developments. In his testimony, he cautioned that some proposed changes to the H-2A framework would create conditions similar to “legalized slavery.” According to Goodin, in part because the industry understands that it is dependent on a large labor force, it wants an impotent and horrified workforce.
“In the H-2A program, the way they’re proposing to get rid of the regulations and any guarantees that workers get is going to look like legalized slavery.” – Carlos Marentes
Additionally, she stressed that restrictive immigration policies can further marginalize existing communities of undocumented farm workers. “It’s very clear to us that the deportation of undocumented workers is to clear the field for bringing in H-2A workers instead of having these farm worker families that are part of our community now for over 20 years,” he remarked.