Donald Trump’s ‘100 percent American work force’ dream crumbles, targeting those it vowed to protect

The Trump administration just quietly acknowledged its immigration crackdown has caused significant labor shortages in the agricultural sector. Per the New York Times, they have now embraced a shift in policy that makes it cheaper for farmers to hire temporary immigrant farmworkers through the H-2A visa program, effectively lowering their wages. 

Administration officials had vowed that mass deportations would lead to a “100 percent American work force” with “higher wages with better benefits” for native workers. However, after noting that the “near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens combined with the lack of an available legal work force” was causing production disruptions and threatening the stability of domestic food prices, the Department of Labor revamped the H-2A program.

Under these changes, the agency adjusted how wages for H-2A farmworkers are calculated, which could lower hourly rates by $1 to $7. Farmers can also now count housing as part of the compensation package for these guest workers. The agriculture secretary stated that the administration is enacting “real reforms to ease regulatory burdens and lower labor costs”,” to ensure that farmers can be successful” to ensure that farmers can succeed. 

No farmer will hire American workers if immigrants are cheaper

Many farmers are celebrating these adjustments to the H-2A program. They point to the ongoing difficulty of hiring American workers and the tough economic conditions, including tariffs, facing the industry. Bruce Talbott, who runs a peach orchard and vineyard in Colorado, relies heavily on the H-2A program, employing four to five dozen guest farmworkers annually, mostly returning workers from Mexico. 

He noted that local workers just aren’t interested in seasonal farming jobs, especially since he can’t offer year-round employment like some larger farms. He even shared a story of losing 40,000 pounds of fruit one year because he couldn’t hire enough local workers while waiting for H-2A visas.

However, both labor unions and immigration hawks are voicing strong opposition, arguing that the changes will only increase the reliance on foreign workers, suppress wages for native workers, and potentially push them out of the labor pool entirely. The United Farm Workers of America has even filed a lawsuit, contending that the rule will directly harm American farmworkers.

Teresa Romero, the president of the union, didn’t mince words, saying, “These actions are going to displace domestic farmworkers who have been working in the fields and putting food on dinner tables for decades, and bring a work force that is even more vulnerable to abuse.” She pointed out that H-2A workers are often susceptible to exploitation and trafficking. 

Economists are pretty clear that lowering wages for H-2A workers won’t magically lead to more American workers in agriculture or increased pay for native workers. They believe that reducing wages will instead make American farmers rely more on mechanization, guest farmworkers, and food imports. 

The Economic Policy Institute, a think tank, estimates these changes could result in a massive $2 billion cut to the annual wages of guest farmworkers, and a $3 billion cut for U.S.-based farmworkers.