In light of ongoing immigration challenges, it’s evident that President Trump’s approach has repeatedly fallen short of offering sustainable solutions. This issue has persisted for decades, largely by design, leading to concerns among economists and industry experts. As we’ve noted, the current administration seems inclined to shift towards “guest” workers who are more easily exploited rather than addressing the root problems of the existing immigration system.
The deportation of over half a million individuals by President Trump, coupled with the termination of various programs that facilitated legal work for immigrants, has led to significant labor shortages in the agriculture sector, a crucial group for political support.
Despite warnings from experts about the adverse impacts of mass deportation on agricultural labor availability, administration officials anticipated that U.S.-born workers would readily fill the gaps left by departing immigrants. Unfortunately, this has not materialized.
The Trump administration has also shown little progress in establishing a long-term, effective immigration strategy.
Historically, corporate agriculture has sought to minimize safety regulations, labor protections, and wages. This trend has resulted in a workforce largely comprised of immigrants and undocumented individuals who are willing to endure long hours in challenging conditions, such as grueling heat in fields or hazardous tasks in meatpacking facilities.
Recently, to bolster the farm labor force, the administration has made adjustments to the H-2A visa program, enabling certain agricultural employers to hire foreign nationals temporarily. While the administration claims to have streamlined the application process, it also aims to permit farmers to offer these foreign workers lower wages.
However, the comprehensive reforms that industry advocates assert are necessary have yet to materialize, despite intensifying immigration enforcement. Furthermore, some sectors, like dairy farming, remain ineligible for this visa program.
“The H-2A program is a temporary fix rather than a sustainable solution,” said John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation. “While its usage may continue to rise, that’s not an indication of its popularity.”
While the administration leans on the H-2A program to support this essential voting demographic, its approach to federal funding has added hurdles for those reliant on government aid.
On October 1, amidst an ongoing funding tussle between Trump and congressional Democrats, the federal government shut down. That same day, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that the funding lapse resulted in a halt to the H-2A program.
“A prolonged funding hiatus,” the Labor Department noted, “will worsen processing delays, particularly affecting the H-2A program.”
In mid-October, more than two weeks into the shutdown, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association warned Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that the delays posed an immediate threat to agricultural production, according to Civil Eats. The association, however, did not respond to requests for further comment.
While farmers are encountering challenges in accessing one labor source, the administration persists in its crackdown on another.
Among the approximately 2 million farmworkers in the United States, surveys indicate that around 44% are undocumented. This issue extends beyond farms, impacting numerous sectors within the food supply chain, including meatpacking, grocery stores, and restaurants.
Trump’s immigration policies have inadvertently contributed to the increase in undocumented immigrants. He terminated humanitarian parole programs that permitted immigrants fleeing dangerous situations to seek legal employment in the U.S., leaving numerous meatpacking operations without adequate labor.
The threat of immigration raids has led to labor shortages nationwide. In Pennsylvania, some dairy farmers, who typically depend on undocumented workers, have been compelled to sell their herds due to a lack of available labor, as reported by Politico. Similarly, fields in California went unharvested this summer as many workers opted not to show up for work, according to Reuters. Concerns of worker shortages are also evident in Idaho.
While pinpointing the exact number of undocumented farmworkers leaving the labor force remains challenging, statistics from the Pew Research Center indicate a decrease of about 750,000 immigrants in the workforce since January. This decline is likely to have adverse effects on the overall labor market, which could harm the economy, as highlighted by CNBC.
The cumulative repercussions of the Trump administration’s approach may result in dwindling small farms and an increase in larger industrial farming operations, which have more resources to access visa workers and adopt mechanization, noted Mary Jo Dudley, former director of the Cornell Farmworker Program and current head of Migrant Advocacy and Support.
“As more individuals are detained, farms will inevitably lose workers,” she stated. “Dairy producers without access to H-2A labor face tough choices: should they sell their cows if their workforce might vanish at any moment? The future for small family farms is rapidly diminishing.”
Despite Farmer Concerns, Immigration Raids Continue
For months, Trump claimed a solution was forthcoming. During a speech on July 4, he asserted, “We have some encouraging developments in the works.”
However, the priority has consistently remained on mass deportation, which formed the bedrock of Trump’s campaign platform.
Throughout the summer, Rollins urged Trump to halt immigration enforcement on farms, citing concerns from farmers, as reported by the New York Times. Shortly thereafter, raids resumed. Stephen Miller, an influential aide to Trump, instructed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—home to ICE—to aim for 3,000 arrests daily, according to Axios.
In mid-September, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, indicated during an interview that “discussions are underway” about raids impacting agricultural labor, but he emphasized that increased enforcement would persist.
“The President has stated there will be no amnesty,” Homan remarked. “However, he is exploring options for farms.”
In early October, the administration acknowledged that its immigration enforcement strategies were contributing to worker shortages and potentially food shortages.
This acknowledgment is connected to how visa workers are compensated. Farmers hiring H-2A workers are obligated to offer what is termed the “adverse effect wage rate” (AEWR). This rate is intentionally set above a state’s minimum wage to encourage farmers to hire U.S. residents over foreign nationals.
However, in a proposed rule filed October 2, the labor department posited that the AEWR should be reduced. This suggestion stems from the “current and imminent labor shortage exacerbated by the near-total pause in the inflow of undocumented immigrants and heightened enforcement of existing immigration laws, leading to potential food supply disruptions.”
The Labor Department did not respond to inquiries regarding the proposed rule. A spokeswoman indicated she would be unable to comment until the government shutdown concluded.
Differing Perspectives on Agriculture Labor Sources
During a June address, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer asserted that the H-2A program would address farmers’ labor concerns, stating, “I wish Americans would take on these jobs.”
However, her remarks contrast sharply with those of other administration officials, who have continuously claimed the goal is to replace immigrant workers with U.S.-born individuals. Just weeks later, Rollins contradicted Chavez-DeRemer, asserting that Medicaid participants—many of whom are unable to work—would fulfill labor gaps left by immigrants.
“The mass deportations continue in a strategic manner, transitioning the workforce towards automation and entirely American participation,” Rollins stated, as reported by Politico. “With 34 million able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to address this swiftly.” (Prior to her appointment as agriculture secretary, Rollins suggested that labor shortages due to increased enforcement were merely “hypothetical.”)
When asked about the change in Rollins’ stance in light of the Labor Department’s viewpoint on enforcement, the USDA reflected an unattributed comment stating Trump was “strengthening the farm workforce and streamlining” the H-2A program.
Congress at Recess, Labor Solutions on Hold
The agriculture committee in the U.S. House of Representatives has examined the H-2A program and proposed a reform template last year.
At present, employers—along with any specialty firms they engage—must submit paperwork to three different federal departments to hire foreign farmworkers. The committee recommended the development of a centralized portal for employers and a reduction in the financial obligations regarding wages and housing.
This summer, a bill based on such recommendations was introduced, but it has yet to receive a committee hearing.
The House has not reconvened since September 19, leaving the timeline for its resumption uncertain. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and the current speaker, has faced intra-party criticism for this protracted recess, according to The Hill. As such, no discussions or votes on H-2A program reforms can proceed during this period.
Despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, Investigate Midwest reached out to all 30 Republicans on the House agriculture committee for insights on how the shutdown impacts potential labor solutions for farmers negatively affected by increased immigration enforcement.
Regrettably, most failed to respond, and a few declined to comment. Repeated attempts to reach the agriculture committee chair, Glenn “GT” Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, also went unanswered.
DOL Establishes New Office, Uncertainty Surrounds Previous Issues
The Trump administration has aimed to restrict various visa programs and legal statuses while supporting the expansion of the H-2A program, specifically for agricultural employers.
In addition to the termination of humanitarian parole programs, the administration has proposed imposing a $100,000 fee per application for employers hiring through the H-1B program. H-1B visa holders, considered “highly skilled” immigrants, typically work in lucrative sectors like technology. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed a lawsuit challenging this fee.
Conversely, H-2A workers usually receive slightly above minimum wage for temporary positions, with wage theft being a documented concern.
There is speculation that the Trump administration seeks to substitute many undocumented farmworkers with short-term foreign workers. Daniel Costa, a leading researcher on immigration at the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute, states, “They essentially want workers without the commitment to long-term residency.”
This summer, the DOL established a new office aimed at increasing farmer participation in the H-2A program. However, it remains unclear how this office will resolve challenges stemming from the program’s rising popularity.
Chavez-DeRemer discussed plans for a “one-stop shop” for H-2A relevant services during a speech to governors from western states. The new initiative aims to address application backlogs and expedite approvals for farmers experiencing immediate labor needs, as stated in reports by The Packer.
“We’re finally ready to take action,” she said, “and we plan to work with Congress on long-term immigration reform when necessary.”
The newly-established Office of Immigration Policy intends to provide “strategic oversight,” “management,” and “prioritization” for visa programs, as outlined in a memo from Chavez-DeRemer.
The leader of this office, Brian Pasternak, has been part of the labor department for over two decades and last oversaw the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, which evaluates and approves H-2A visa applications.
Even prior to the ongoing shutdown, the labor certification office struggled to meet the increasing demand for H-2A workers, which a 2024 Government Accountability Office report revealed.
Staff members from the department were reassigned to process H-2A applications, resulting in delayed processing times for other visa types. As application numbers soared, regulators also issued fewer penalties for employers, such as those lacking proof of adequate housing—a persistent issue for visa-holding farmworkers.
Staffing concerns predated Trump’s presidency, and it remains uncertain whether any layoffs associated with Elon Musk’s DOGE impacted H-2A processing.
The labor department saw about a 1% reduction in workforce following DOGE’s initial job cuts, as reported by The New York Times, and additional job cuts could occur during the ongoing government shutdown.
When queried about how many staff responsible for H-2A applications were terminated or retired early since January, the labor department did not respond. Similarly, it did not address plans to resolve the previously identified issues highlighted by the Government Accountability Office.
The new office “will support President Trump’s initiatives to deter illegal immigration while aiding employers in navigating these programs, thus promoting legal work opportunities,” stated Courtney Parella, a labor department spokesperson. “By establishing the (Office of Immigration Policy), which directly reports to the Secretary, the Department is minimizing bureaucratic hurdles to better execute immigration-related policy priorities and manage foreign labor certification systems.”
Boatright, representing the American Farm Bureau, expressed optimism regarding the new office but observed that little has changed on the ground thus far.
“There’s been no significant progress yet,” he remarked. “We’re eager to see what the Office of Immigration Policy can accomplish.”
