Trump administration to streamline migrant work visa program for U.S. farmers

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins previewed a Trump administration policy shift on Monday that would expand access to immigrant work visas used by American farmers.

The upcoming announcement will include reforms to make it easier to apply for the H-2A visa program in line with President Donald Trump’s dual objectives of enforcing immigration laws and supporting the food supply chain, according to Rollins.

Media reports identified Rollins as one of the key influences behind the Trump administration’s decision earlier this month to redirect Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts away from the agriculture sector.

The Department of Agriculture has estimated that from 2020 to 2022 around 42% of crop farmworkers “held no work authorization” to be in the U.S.

Recent workplace raids of fields in California led growers to report that 30-60% of workers had stopped showing up for fear of deportation, the New York Times reported.

Now that border crossings have come to a halt, Camp said Rollins could use her influence to emphasize helping farmers get the laborers they need.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Western Governors Association, Rollins said that she and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who will also be speaking at the event, were “on calls all weekend” working on modifications to visa programs that will be announced “in a day or two.”