Newsweek’s Billal Rahman reported that, “hard-line Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are criticizing a GOP-backed agricultural labor bill that would allow some undocumented farmworkers to obtain temporary legal status, arguing the measure amounts to amnesty.” “The proposed legislation has highlighted a split within the Republican Party, with more conservative members wanting a tougher response to […]
Immigration
H-2A Guest Farmworker Certifications up 17% So Far in 2026
In the first half of the 2026 fiscal year, the Labor Department certified 17% more (H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker) jobs than in the same period the year before.
Immigration Crackdown Hurting Ag, Labor Dept. Concedes
The Trump administration said that its immigration crackdown is hurting farmers and risking higher food prices for Americans by cutting off agriculture’s labor supply. The Labor Department made this case in paperwork documenting a new rule that took effect Oct. 2 that effectively lowers pay for seasonal migrants working in agriculture under the H-2A visa program.
Trump Reiterates Willingness to Let Migrant Laborers Stay on Farms
President Donald Trump again said on Thursday that he is willing to let migrant laborers stay in the United States if the farmers they work for will vouch for them.
Trump Again Considering Immigration Relief for Farmworkers
President Donald Trump again is saying he wants to shield farmers from the effects of his crackdown on illegal immigration, just days after his administration reinstated workplace raids on agricultural operations.
ICE Reverses Exemption of Ag from Immigration Raids
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday told staff that it was reversing guidance issued last week that agents were not to conduct immigration raids at farms, hotels and restaurants.
ICE Ordered to Pause Immigration Raids on Ag Businesses
President Donald Trump’s administration has directed immigration officials to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, restaurants and meatpacking plants, according to an internal email reviewed by Reuters, a senior Trump official, and a person familiar with the matter.
Immigration Raids Targeting Ag Businesses Increase
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are starting to more aggressively target agriculture and food processing facilities around the country as reports over the past week from (Nebraska), New Mexico and California also highlight.
Trump Suggests Leniency on Farm Worker Deportations
Bloomberg’s Skylar Woodhouse reported that “President Donald Trump said he is looking to allow undocumented farm and hospitality industry workers to leave the US for a short period of time and reenter the country legally, a bid to address concerns about labor shortages from his crackdown on undocumented migration.” “‘We’re going to work with people […]
Ag Industry Groups Concerned Over Deportation Plans
Bloomberg’s Kim Chipman, Joe Mathieu, and Tarso Veloso reported Tuesday that “President-Elect Donald Trump’s threat of mass deportations risks hurting the domestic agriculture sector already struggling with labor shortages.” “That’s according to Matt Carstens, chief executive officer of Iowa’s biggest farm cooperative, who said Trump’s plan should be approached carefully. Farming would be one of […]
House Passes the Farm Workforce Modernization Act on Bipartisan Vote
Wall Street Journal writer Siobhan Hughes reported on Thursday that, “The House passed two bills providing pathways to citizenship for certain categories of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, in a show of bipartisan support for narrow measures that still risk getting tied up in a long-running impasse over how to repair the immigration system.”
Immigration Policy: Rural and Agricultural Concerns
Wall Street Journal writer Justin Lahart reported last week that, “The first impact of President Donald Trump’s changes to U.S. immigration policy will fall on businesses that grow, process or sell food. Recent history shows that labor shortages could drive up prices and labor costs, and hurt profits.”
Trump Administration Immigration Policies Could Hamper Some Ag Sectors
In addition to trade issues, potential uncertainty associated with Trump administration immigration policies has some sectors of the agricultural economy anxious.
Immigration- Food Prices
Caitlin Dewey reported in the Washington Post on December 7th that, “President-elect Donald Trump has promised a major crackdown on illegal immigration, triggering immense alarm among the country’s 11 million undocumented people. But Trump’s deportation promises, if fulfilled, would ripple far beyond the lives of illegal immigrants. Deportations would affect vast swaths of the economy — with a particularly dramatic impact on agriculture.