Renewed calls for sweeping deportations have sent a wave of panic through America's farms—and for good reason. Almost 14.5 million tons of produce were left unharvested across the U.S. in 2023 alone. Labor shortages already plague agriculture. Mass deportations will exacerbate the issue.
But the crisis is bigger than immigration enforcement. Even as undocumented workers are targeted, the legal system that's supposed to supply agricultural labor—the H-2A visa program—is riddled with costs, bureaucracy, and inefficiency. American farmers are being crushed not only by worker shortages but by a broken guest worker system that cannot meet their needs.
In a recent report I authored for the John Locke Foundation, titled "Harvest on Hold," I analyzed the agricultural labor market in North Carolina, one of the largest agricultural sectors in the United States. However, the issues are nationwide. From California to Florida, farmers face a shrinking domestic workforce, burdensome labor regulations, and a bureaucratic mess that makes hiring legally very difficult.
