Why the H-2A Visa Program Is Central to America’s Food Security

In a rare acknowledgment, the U.S. Department of Labor recently warned that immigration enforcement measures could jeopardize “the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.” The statement, buried in a Federal Register notice, marks one of the clearest official admissions that without foreign labor — particularly through the H-2A visa program — America’s farms face critical shortages.

The Tension Between Policy and Reality

The federal government’s own analysis recognized what growers have long known: American workers are not filling agricultural jobs in sufficient numbers, nor are they likely to. Farming remains one of the most physically demanding and hazardous occupations in the U.S., with historically low domestic participation rates.

Despite rhetoric suggesting the workforce could become “100 percent American,” the Labor Department’s documentation flatly concluded that “qualified and eligible U.S. workers will not make themselves available in sufficient numbers.” That shortage is not hypothetical — it’s measurable across the fields and greenhouses of California, Florida, Georgia, Washington, and North Carolina, which lead the nation in H-2A labor certifications.

A Program That Keeps Food on the Table

The H-2A visa program, created by Congress in 1986, allows U.S. agricultural employers to hire foreign nationals for temporary or seasonal farm work when no U.S. workers are available. In fiscal year 2024 alone, the program supported more than 390,000 certified positions. These are not abstract numbers — they represent the hands that harvest the fruits, vegetables, and grains that stock grocery shelves nationwide.

Without this legal channel, many farms would face impossible choices: scale back production, leave crops unharvested, or close entirely. The result would ripple through the entire economy — driving up prices, constraining supply, and undermining food security.

The Cost of Instability

Policymakers are walking a tightrope: tightening immigration enforcement while recognizing that domestic labor alone cannot sustain U.S. agriculture. The Labor Department’s decision to adjust H-2A wage calculations underscores this dilemma — an effort to give farmers relief amid rising costs, even as it stirs debate over worker protections.

Regardless of where one stands on wage methodology, the underlying message is unmistakable: agriculture depends on a lawful, reliable, and timely workforce. Interrupting that flow, whether through policy uncertainty or enforcement surges, risks far more than lost productivity — it threatens the affordability and availability of food itself.

Looking Forward

As the U.S. continues to balance labor needs with policy objectives, it’s critical to view the H-2A program not as a loophole or compromise, but as infrastructure — essential to maintaining the stability of one of the country’s most fundamental sectors.

The program’s challenges are real: wage volatility, administrative backlogs, and compliance burdens for both employers and workers. Yet its purpose is vital. Strengthening the H-2A framework — through clearer rules, timely processing, and consistent enforcement — will help secure both the agricultural economy and the nation’s food supply.

In short, the H-2A program doesn’t just support farms. It sustains America’s food chain from field to table.