Wage crushing and created scarcity, temporary worker policies reek of exploitation
The recent wave of immigration raids across the US has devastated the agricultural workforce, according to the US Department of Labor. The department has stated that because many Americans are unwilling to take these jobs, the solution is to bring in more guest workers. To make this approach more affordable for employers, the Department has introduced a new rule that restructures the existing H-2A program—lowering hourly wages and implementing other significant changes. These changes raise serious concerns about exploitation.
A policy that undermines its own goals
In a recent statement, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins claimed that the US farm workforce would soon be entirely American. Yet, in contrast, the Department of Labor has introduced an alarming new rule to the H-2A temporary worker program—one that, by the Department’s own admission, is likely to drive domestic farm workers out of the sector. This move risks creating a cycle of labor shortages and deepening exploitation in agricultural work.
Speaking about the proposed changes, Antonio De Loera-Brust of the United Farm Workers told The American Prospect:
“… (the rule will) make it easier for corporate agribusiness to exploit its workers…The Trump administration would rather expand the abusive H-2A program than do right by the workers who are already here, feeding America for decades.”
The new rule reduces wages for all guest workers brought in under the H-2A program—wages that were already among the lowest in the US. And sadly, that decrease will likely decrease wages for all farm workers, regardless of legal status. As a result, even fewer American workers are expected to enter or remain in the industry.
Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers said:
“The Trump wage cut is a catastrophe for American workers in agriculture who growers intend to replace with cheap and exploitable foreign guest workers,”
For those Americans currently employed in the sector, experts warn that many will be forced to leave. Meanwhile, migrant workers—facing limited options and insecure legal status—may feel compelled to accept exploitative conditions.