The H-2A visa program, designed to bring foreign workers to U.S. farms, has seen explosive growth, jumping over 500% since 2012 from 62,743 to nearly 400,000 in 2025. This surge is partly attributed to strict caps and limits on other immigration programs. Yet, despite its increasing popularity among agricultural employers, the program is far from perfect, drawing criticism from farmers, labor advocates, and both political parties, who hold strong ideological and practical differences on necessary changes.
Amidst the Trump administration’s focus on immigration crackdowns, agriculture employers and some moderate Republicans are pushing for negotiations to expand legal immigration, specifically through the H-2A program. Farmers, including dairy, blueberry, apple, and peach growers, along with powerful lobbying groups like the American Farm Bureau Federation, have advocated in Washington for their labor needs. Central to these discussions is a bill introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, which seeks to broaden access to the H-2A visa for seasonal agricultural labor.
The H-2A program, established in the 1980s, primarily supplies workers from Mexico for temporary and seasonal tasks such as picking, fertilizing, and pruning crops. It requires employers to demonstrate an inability to find sufficient U.S. workers. Historically, farms with year-round needs, like dairies, were excluded. However, last month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memo clarifying that some dairies could access H-2A visas if they proved “seasonal” labor needs, a development that caught the dairy industry’s attention. Cricket Jacquier, a Connecticut dairy farmer and National Milk Board of Directors member, noted that this memo “raised dairy to the top and recognizes that there’s a serious problem in the dairy industry.”
Farmers express significant dissatisfaction with the program’s provisions, particularly regularly increasing wages and other costs, including responsibilities for housing, transportation, and medical care for each worker. Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, stated, “We estimate using about 55,000 guest workers this past year, not because the program works well, but because growers have no other choice.” Florida leads in H-2A visa usage, followed by Georgia, California, Washington, and North Carolina, which together account for just over half of all certifications.
The Labor Department last fall issued a rule that would remove housing costs from workers’ paychecks and alter wage calculation methods, effectively lowering guest workers’ pay and making the program more affordable for farmers. However, growers assert that more comprehensive changes are needed, which can only be achieved through congressional action. Dairy, cattle, and pork producers are seeking access to the visa program, with some also hoping their current workers, who may be undocumented, could gain access. Estimates suggest that more than half of dairy workers are undocumented, with even higher figures in states like Idaho and Wisconsin.
Sydney Allison, who operates Wild Goose Farms in Florida, credits the H-2A program for her farm’s survival but warns it is insufficient. “We couldn’t get the labor and so we were pushed to use this program,” she said. She desires longer worker placements and greater predictability in wage costs, noting that labor accounts for up to half of the production cost for blueberries she sells across the Eastern Seaboard. “We can’t continue to expand. We honestly will probably shrink,” Allison stated. Martin Durban, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, emphasizes the broader economic impact, citing a Congressional Budget Office report predicting a drop in the working-age population: “You can’t grow the economy with a shrinking workforce.” The administration acknowledges the tension between strict immigration enforcement and the farm labor supply, with the Labor Department previously warning that increased enforcement could risk supply chain disruptions and food supply problems.
Thompson’s proposed legislation aims to remove the seasonal requirements of the visa while maintaining its temporary nature, capped at 350 days a year. It would extend program access to sectors like forestry, aquaculture, and livestock, and establish a process for existing unauthorized workers to access the H-2A program, though it offers no pathway to legalization. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, expressed optimism, saying, “Since the president has closed the border, I think we can get this done.”
However, the bill faces significant opposition. Labor organizations, including the United Farm Workers (UFW) union and the AFL-CIO, are skeptical of any expansion of foreign labor programs, particularly without a pathway to legalization for undocumented workers already in the U.S. Teresa Romero, president of the UFW, criticized the program, stating that employers often prefer to bring in guest workers, pay them less, and exert more control, potentially displacing legal residents and citizens. She also highlighted concerns about worker exploitation, as H-2A visa holders are tied to a specific employer. Shannon Lederer, immigration policy director at the national AFL-CIO, asserted, “Systems that create an underclass of workers who can’t exercise their rights are bad for all workers.”
Conservatives also express skepticism, opposing any program that could “grandfather in” workers currently in the U.S. illegally. Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, described the current system as “the worst of both worlds” for both employers and employees trying to follow rules. While agreeing with employers that the system is complicated, Hankinson and other conservatives diverge from labor groups on offering legal status, advocating instead for the deportation of those ordered removed, aligning with former President Trump’s promises. Conservatives in the House are pushing for a vote on HR 2, a bill to increase border and immigration enforcement.
Despite former President Trump’s past vows to support a visa solution for farms, few policy proposals have materialized. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly declined to comment on pending legislation, stating, “We do not get ahead of the president on pending legislation.” Thompson’s bill, which currently has 50 co-sponsors, including four Democrats, faces a challenging path through Congress. Leaders of the House Judiciary Committee, Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., have not responded to inquiries about potential hearings or votes. Senators are also holding off on a companion measure, awaiting the political reaction to the House version. Proponents argue that farm state Republicans could facilitate negotiations if the party advances other border security and enforcement bills. Thompson underscored the broad impact, noting, “Ninety-two percent of all planted acres are represented by Republicans… Now, I will say 100% of all constituents eat.”
Farmworkers harvest strawberries in a field on Farmworkers Day on March 31 near Oxnard, Calif. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
First established in the 1980s, the H-2A program allows agricultural employers to request foreign farmworkers on a temporary and seasonal basis, provided they cannot find enough workers in the U.S., among other requirements.
