Deportations Up, Wages Down: The Policy Driving Modern Slavery in US Farming

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 temporary agricultural work visa 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, a visa for foreign nationals to work in the US for seasonal and agricultural jobs when there are not enough domestic workers available. The changes, 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.