“Since 2013, as farmworkers have aged and immigration has slowed, H-2A holders have quadrupled to become a sixth of the agricultural labor force,” DePillis reported. “The program is poised to grow even faster. As the Trump administration pursues undocumented immigrants, it’s becoming harder to find workers, foreign or native-born. And the White House has restricted many avenues for legal immigration, such as refugee status, H-1B visas for skilled workers and any immigrant visas for people from 75 countries.”
“But farmers pushed back, and the Agriculture Department responded,” DePillis reported. “Last fall, it lowered the wages that guest workers must be paid, substantially decreasing the cost of the program.”
H-2A Guest Farmworker Certifications up 17% So Far in 2026
The New York Times’ Lydia DePillis reported that “in the first half of the 2026 fiscal year, the Labor Department certified 17 percent more (H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker) jobs than in the same period the year before.”
“In theory, the program is mutually beneficial. Growers get crucial help during the growing season, and foreign workers make far more than they would at home without having to risk sneaking across the border,” DePillis reported. “…The program’s rapid expansion, however, comes with significant risks. H-2A visas have historically been ridden with fraud, labor trafficking and abuse. According to the Government Accountability Office, of the 2,857 investigations that the Labor Department pursued from 2018 to 2023, 84 percent found violations.”
“The agriculture industry is trying to police itself and reward good behavior, but the efforts depend on the good will of growers and labor contractors, which take up an increasing share of the visas,” DePillis reported. “‘Having workers tied to an employer for their legal status, their wages, working conditions, their ability to return, creates such a power differential that really exacerbates vulnerability to forced labor,’ said Rachel Micah-Jones, executive director of the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, which advocates on behalf of migrant workers.”
“Since 2013, as farmworkers have aged and immigration has slowed, H-2A holders have quadrupled to become a sixth of the agricultural labor force,” DePillis reported. “The program is poised to grow even faster. As the Trump administration pursues undocumented immigrants, it’s becoming harder to find workers, foreign or native-born. And the White House has restricted many avenues for legal immigration, such as refugee status, H-1B visas for skilled workers and any immigrant visas for people from 75 countries.”
“But farmers pushed back, and the Agriculture Department responded,” DePillis reported. “Last fall, it lowered the wages that guest workers must be paid, substantially decreasing the cost of the program.”
“Since 2013, as farmworkers have aged and immigration has slowed, H-2A holders have quadrupled to become a sixth of the agricultural labor force,” DePillis reported. “The program is poised to grow even faster. As the Trump administration pursues undocumented immigrants, it’s becoming harder to find workers, foreign or native-born. And the White House has restricted many avenues for legal immigration, such as refugee status, H-1B visas for skilled workers and any immigrant visas for people from 75 countries.”
“But farmers pushed back, and the Agriculture Department responded,” DePillis reported. “Last fall, it lowered the wages that guest workers must be paid, substantially decreasing the cost of the program.”