Former US President Donald Trump has hinted at a new plan that could affect how migrant farm workers are used in the US. The goal is to help American farmers find enough labour without offering amnesty to undocumented immigrants already in the country.
The idea has caused a lot of debate inside the White House. While farmers say they need migrant workers, Trump and his advisers are trying to avoid any move that might look like giving legal status to undocumented people, which critics would call “amnesty.”
One option being discussed is expanding the H-2A visa program. This program lets foreign workers come to the US for seasonal farm work. Officials are thinking about letting it apply to year-round farm jobs like dairy work, which has support from many Republicans.
However, experts say this wouldn’t fix the bigger problem. An estimated 320,000 undocumented workers are already working on US farms. Any effort to give them legal status, even a “touchback” program that makes them leave and reapply, could upset immigration hardliners.
What did Trump say about farm labour?
Speaking on Tuesday, Trump showed sympathy for farmers. He said it’s hard to replace migrant workers, especially in tough farm jobs. He also claimed that people in US cities do not want to do farm work, even when given the chance.
“They’ve tried. Everybody’s tried. They don’t do it,” Trump said, referring to inner-city Americans. “These people do it naturally,” he added, speaking of migrant workers.
Trump also repeated a story he said he heard from a farmer. The farmer claimed migrant workers don’t get injured because if they did, “they die.” Trump called them “very, very special people,” though he didn’t say who the farmer was.
The full details of Trump’s plan are not yet known, but any policy change will have to balance farm labour needs with immigration enforcement—a topic that’s likely to remain heated as the 2025 presidential race continues.