Amid rising immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, American farmers are facing a critical labor crisis—one that threatens harvests, food prices, and the future of agriculture itself.
Many U.S. farms rely heavily on foreign-born workers to pick fruit, tend livestock, and perform other labor-intensive tasks. Yet the system intended to support this workforce—particularly the H-2A visa program—is expensive, complex, and limited in scope. Meanwhile, efforts to reform immigration laws have repeatedly stalled in Congress.
A Labor Shortage Deepens Amid Immigration Crackdowns
For Candice Lyall, a fourth-generation cherry farmer in Eastern Washington, timing is everything. Her cherries must be picked at peak ripeness by hand, but this summer, the harvest collided with federal immigration sweeps. Rumors of checkpoints prompted fear among workers. What began as a team of 100 dwindled to 30 within days.
“Some farms didn’t pick at all because they didn’t have enough labor,” said Lyall, who supports stronger border security but believes a stable, legal workforce is essential. “There need to be real solutions on the table.”
Across the nation, such disruptions have fueled urgent calls for reform. Around 42% of U.S. farmworkers lack legal status, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And most native-born Americans are unwilling to take on these jobs—ones that are physically demanding, low-paying, and often seasonal.
Earlier this summer, federal raids in California led to mass detentions and sparked protests, including a three-day farmworker strike. Ben Tindall of Save Family Farming, a Washington-based advocacy group, said farmers are now operating with uncertainty and fear. “They don’t know if their workforce will show up tomorrow—or stay away for fear of a raid,” he said.
The Backbone of U.S. Farming
Hans Breitenmoser, a dairy farmer in rural Wisconsin, employs about a dozen foreign-born workers. His parents emigrated from Switzerland in the 1960s, and he has seen firsthand how few native-born residents are willing to take on farm work.
“If it wouldn’t be for immigrants, my dairy farm wouldn’t run,” he said.
Labor shortages are particularly severe in the dairy sector, where cows must be milked and cared for daily. A temporary shutdown isn’t an option. According to the Federal Reserve of Kansas City, nearly 70% of U.S. agricultural workers are foreign-born.
The National Milk Producers Federation estimates that milk prices could nearly double if the foreign-born labor force is lost.
“We’ve built an economy that relies on people,” Breitenmoser said, “but we have a public policy that demonizes them. That doesn’t make sense.”
He called the failure to pass immigration reform “politically motivated,” and described the solution as “stupid simple”: expand work visa access and provide legal pathways for long-standing workers.
Fear and Uncertainty Among Workers
Maria, a 56-year-old farmworker in Colorado, came to the U.S. from Mexico two decades ago. Like many, she now lives in fear. She stopped working after seeing ICE activity near her community. Her husband, still employed at a dairy, says farms are beginning to seek workers out of state.
“There's a lot of anxiety,” Maria said. “My grandchildren ask, ‘Grandma, are they going to take you away?’”
Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, said fear permeates agricultural communities—even among legal visa holders. Many families have stopped attending public events or even going to stores.
Recent raids at cannabis farms in California led to more than 200 arrests and the death of a 57-year-old Mexican worker, Jaime Alanís García, who reportedly fell from a roof while fleeing. U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley called the raids "a direct result of Congress’ ongoing failure to pass immigration reform."
Gabriel, a 42-year-old farmworker in California’s Central Valley, echoed that frustration. “Let workers work,” he said. “These are people who help feed the country and pay taxes.”
Even workers here on legal H-2A visas, like Maurico Sol in Idaho and Oregon, report growing unease. “We don’t want to go out because maybe they’re going to confuse me with someone else and detain me—even though I have papers,” he said.
Challenges with the H-2A Visa Program
Shay Myers, a third-generation onion farmer and popular agricultural TikTok influencer, employs around 350 H-2A workers during harvest. While the program is critical to his operations, he says it’s overly bureaucratic, expensive, and inflexible.
Farmers must prove no local workers are available, provide housing, and meet varying state labor requirements. Labor groups also criticize the program for tying workers to one employer, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
“We lose from every angle,” Myers said. “Right-wing critics say we won’t hire Americans. The left says we exploit foreign workers. Neither side is looking at reality.”
Myers supports expanding the H-2A program and creating a legal path for undocumented workers who’ve been in the U.S. for years.
A Political and Practical Path Forward?
Former President Trump has signaled some openness to allowing undocumented farmworkers to remain if vouched for by farmers. “We don’t want to take all the workers off the farms,” he said during a recent visit to Iowa. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have also hinted at plans to streamline and expand the H-2A program.
Meanwhile, bipartisan legislation such as the DIGNITY Act, introduced by Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), proposes a seven-year earned legal status for undocumented immigrants who meet work and conduct requirements.
Still, political obstacles remain. House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated immigration reform may face steep resistance.
Some have suggested that Medicaid work requirements could help fill the labor gap. Farming leaders flatly reject that idea.
In the late 1990s, Manuel Cunha of the Nisei Farmers League helped recruit welfare recipients for farm jobs in California. Despite child care and transportation support, only three out of 500 participants remained past two days. “It was a total disaster,” he said.
A 2013 North Carolina study yielded similar results: of 245 domestic workers hired for 6,500 open positions, only seven finished the season.
Farm labor, Cunha emphasized, is skilled, exhausting, and not easily replaced. “It’s not just picking fruit. It takes training, precision, and strength.”
He added that current stress levels are high. “We pray every day that immigration agents stay out of the valley. We’ll make it through the season if they do. But we need a real fix. Workers should not have to worry about shaving their beard to avoid detention.”
Conclusion: The Clock Is Ticking
The United States is at a critical junction. Farmers, farmworkers, and rural communities are demanding realistic immigration solutions that reflect economic necessity and human dignity. Without swift and meaningful reform, crops may rot, prices may rise, and the backbone of the U.S. food system could begin to fracture.
As one farmer put it: “It doesn’t happen magically. It takes human beings—Black, brown, White, green, or otherwise—to get the job done. That’s what our public policy should reflect.”
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