Trump Administration Considering Options to Address Farm Labor Shortages
News agencies are reporting that President Trump is considering establishing a program by which undocumented farm workers could self-deport to their home countries and then reenter the U.S. legally.
According to Reuters, President Trump made the comments during a Cabinet meeting on April 10. Trump is quoted as saying, “We’re going to work with farmers that, if they have strong recommendations for their farms, for certain people, that we’re going to let them stay in for a while and work with the farmers and then come back and go through a process, a legal process. We have to take care of our farmers and hotels and various places where they need the people.’ A farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people saying, they’re great, they’re working hard, we’re going to slow it down a little bit for them and then we’re going to ultimately bring them back. They’ll go out, they’re going to come back as legal workers.”
This is encouraging news for farms, ranches, and agricultural-related businesses that rely on undocumented workers. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a significant portion of the agricultural workforce—across both crop and livestock sectors—consist of foreign workers. The highest concentration is found in crop production, where an estimated 40 percent of workers are foreign nationals.
Finding solutions to the ongoing shortage of farm workers has been challenging. The most recent effort to address the issue was the 2024 bipartisan report by the U.S. House of Representatives Agricultural Labor Working Group.
The U.S. equine industry relies on both the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, which allow employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural and nonagricultural jobs, such as in the racing and exposition sectors.