TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his “no excuses” proposal for tightening the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday, he unfurled a plan that depends on employing more law enforcement and erecting more walls but left out any mention of the federal program that allows businesses to bring in temporary migrant workers legally.
“No American wants to work harvesting crops and doing manual labor, so we need a guest worker program,’’ said Rick Roth, a fruit and vegetable farmer in Belle Glade and a Republican state representative. “The problem is, they need to update the program to allow for workers year-round and give employers more flexibility.”
Roth is one of hundreds of employers in Florida who collectively hired 25,451 guest workers under the H-2A visa program in 2022. Florida farmers rely on the program more than any other state, and the temporary workers now pick most of Florida’s citrus crop.
