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2h ago

Labor Department Links Immigration Crackdown to Food Shortage Risk as It Rewrites Farmworker Pay

The filing cites a 93% drop in illegal crossings, saying U.S. workers will not replace missing farm labor.

Workers harvest corn at Yakama Nation Farms in Wapato, Washington, on July 31.

Overview

  • An Oct. 2 Federal Register filing warns of “supply shock-induced food shortages” and justifies immediate implementation of a new H-2A wage rule.
  • The rule replaces the Adverse Effect Wage Rate with a formula based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data and permits employers to charge guest workers for housing.
  • Farmworker advocates say the changes will cut pay across agriculture, with the United Farm Workers estimating a $2.46 billion annual reduction.
  • Labor officials describe the situation as a structural workforce crisis and estimate that roughly 42% of the crop workforce is unable to enter, at risk of removal, or departing.
  • The department says American workers will not fill the gap even as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has predicted a fully domestic farm workforce, while a senior official says the administration is strengthening visa programs.