47 Republicans Are Pushing Amnesty For Illegal Alien Ag Workers
The article discusses a bipartisan bill supported by 47 House Republicans aiming to expand a visa programme for illegal agricultural workers and grant them legal status. The bill would allow workers in agriculture as of may 31, 2026, to obtain H-2A visas, bypassing some immigration violations and holding employers less accountable. Its supporters argue that with the border secured, there is a need to provide legal pathways for agricultural employment. The legislation also proposes extending visa durations from one to three years and declares H-2A workers “essential,” ensuring continued processing during government shutdowns.
the bill reflects the interests of agriculture industry lobbying groups like the American Farm Bureau Federation, which strongly supports the measure. Despite concerns about amnesty, President Trump has previously rejected such proposals. The Department of Labor estimates around 327,000 unauthorized agricultural workers, though the actual number might potentially be higher, especially when including livestock and dairy sectors.
Supporters view the bill as a means to address labor shortages in agriculture by offering legal status to undocumented workers, while critics may see it as encouraging illegal immigration.The White House has not commented on the bill. The article is authored by Breccan F. Thies,White house correspondent for The Federalist.
Dozens of House Republicans are pushing a mass amnesty bill that would expand a visa program for illegal alien agriculture workers and give many of them legal status.
Forty-seven Republicans have signed onto a bipartisan bill in the House that would allow illegal aliens who work in agriculture as of May 31, 2026, to obtain H-2A farmworker visas, giving them legal status and waiving some immigration violations like illegally obtaining an agriculture job in order to allow that to happen. It likewise allows employers that hired these illegal workers to bypass accountability.
“With the border now secure, it is time to address these shortcomings and provide fair and legal pathways for all of agriculture to obtain workers when they are unable to find U.S. citizens willing to perform these noble but arduous tasks,” states a Dear Colleague letter from bill author Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Penn., chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, according to Politico.
Another document explaining the bill says it will “ensure that aliens who have self-deported or those who are here and currently working in agriculture but whose only crime is unlawfully obtaining employment will be eligible to apply for H-2A status.”
According to the Department of Labor, a survey suggests that around 327,000 agriculture workers are not authorized to work in the United States. But that only takes into account crop production, whereas “dairy, poultry, hog, or other livestock-related” production is not included, meaning the number is likely considerably higher.
A significant plurality of crop farmworkers have no work authorization whatsoever, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which states, “In 2020–22, 32 percent of crop farmworkers were U.S. born, 7 percent were immigrants who had obtained U.S. citizenship, 19 percent were other authorized immigrants (primarily permanent residents or green-card holders), and the remaining 42 percent held no work authorization.” That number also appears to leave out a count for livestock and dairy.
Politico reported that the bill is a reflection of the goals of some agriculture industry lobbies. The American Farm Bureau Federation came out in strong support of the bill, noting that it declares H-2A workers to be “essential.”
That means the bill shields such workers from adverse effects of a government shutdown, for example.
“In the case of a lapse of government appropriations, all functions necessary for the processing, certification, and admission of H–2A workers shall be deemed essential to the protection of life and property and such functions shall continue uninterrupted for the duration of such lapse,” it states.
While current H-2A regulations require that labor certifications cannot last longer than a year, the new bill would allow such visas to last for three years, meaning that the annual requirement for an employer to assess whether it can hire a native-born worker first, before looking internationally, is likewise extended.
In his second term President Donald Trump has sparked concerns that he might grant amnesty to agriculture and hospitality workers several times. Trump and relevant cabinet officials, like Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, have rejected the idea that amnesty is being considered.
The White House has yet to comment, and did not respond to a request from The Federalist about the bill.
Along with Thompson, the four Democrats and 46 other Republicans supporting the bill are Reps. Don Davis, D-N.C., Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., Josh Riley, D-N.Y., Michael Simpson, R-Idaho, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, David Rouzer, R-N.C., Trent Kelly, R-Miss., Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., Nicholas Langworthy, R-N.Y., James Baird, R-Ind., Lloyd Smucker, R-Penn., Pete Sessions, R-Texas, Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., Mike Rogers, R-Ala., Mike Kelly, R-Penn., Daniel Meuser, R-Penn., John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Gabe Evans, R-Colo., Joe Wilson, R-S.C., Robert Wittman, R-Va., David Kustoff, R-Tenn., Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., Laurel Lee, R-Fla., David Taylor, R-Ohio, Rick Allen, R-Ga., Michelle Fischback, R-Minn., Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Mike Flood, R-Neb., Austin Scott, R-Ga., Brad Finstad, R-Minn., Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., David Valadao, R-Calif., Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Mike Bost, R-Ill., Mark Messmer, R-Ind., Troy Downing, R-Mont., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, Brian Jack, R-Ga., Darin LaHood, R-Ill., Tim Moore, R-N.C., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.
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