Expanding H-2A Visa Program Raises Concerns Over Worker Safety

Critics say reforms to the temporary farmworker visa program could increase health and labor rights risks for vulnerable migrant workers.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 5:58am

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A photorealistic studio still life showing a pair of worn, dirty work gloves and a crumpled paycheck stub on a plain, monochrome background, conceptually representing the labor abuses and wage theft experienced by many migrant farmworkers in the H-2A program.The H-2A temporary farmworker visa program has long been plagued by reports of worker exploitation, with little accountability for abusive employers.Cokeville Today

The Trump administration and Congress have pushed to expand the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program, touting it as a solution to labor shortages on farms. However, the program has long been plagued by issues like wage theft, unsafe working conditions, and even human trafficking, with little oversight or accountability for abusive employers. Critics warn that the latest changes to the program, such as allowing farmers to deduct housing costs from worker pay, will only exacerbate these problems without addressing the root causes of the agricultural labor shortage.

Why it matters

The H-2A program is one of the only immigration initiatives embraced by the Trump administration, with bipartisan support in Congress. Expanding it is seen as an easier alternative to comprehensive immigration reform. But the program's structural flaws, lack of enforcement, and the industry's resistance to worker-friendly reforms mean the changes could leave migrant farmworkers more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

The details

The H-2A program provides temporary work visas for foreign-born agricultural workers, with the number of certified H-2A jobs increasing by 200% over the past decade. However, the program has long been plagued by issues like wage theft, unsafe housing, and even human trafficking, with little oversight or accountability. The Trump administration has made changes to the program, such as allowing farmers to deduct housing costs from worker pay, that critics say will only worsen these problems. Meanwhile, the agricultural industry has resisted reforms that would give workers more rights and protections.

  • In 2023, two brothers from Peru who came to the U.S. through the H-2A program said their employer stole their wages, deprived them of food and water, and shot their dogs.
  • In 2021, two dozen employees of a farm labor contracting company were charged with imprisoning H-2A workers behind electric fences, withholding their wages, and threatening them with guns.
  • In 2019, an H-2A employer was fined $9,750 after an OSHA investigation found that an H-2A worker had died of heat-related illness due to the employer depriving him of water, but the employer was still allowed to bring in more H-2A workers later that year.

The players

Gustavo and Iván

Two brothers from Peru who came to the U.S. through the H-2A program and faced abuse, including wage theft, deprivation of food and water, and the shooting of their dogs, by their employer in Wyoming.

Nestor

A former H-2A worker who said his employer illegally took his passport and deprived him of food and water.

Samuel

An H-2A worker in North Carolina who has had a positive experience with the program, but has also seen fellow workers deprived of water and forced to work while sick.

Cesar Escalante

A professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Georgia who says American-born workers cannot tolerate the working conditions in agriculture.

Brooke Rollins

Secretary of Agriculture under the Trump administration, who said expanding the H-2A program is 'of the utmost priority'.

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What they’re saying

“We were afraid he'd kill us.”

— Iván

“They [the employers] can do anything to you. Anything at all.”

— Nestor, Former H-2A worker

“In the United States, we live in enslavement or semi-enslavement.”

— Jorge, Former H-2A worker

“Employers are going to know that they can act with total impunity.”

— Daniel Costa, Lead researcher, Economic Policy Institute

“Some workers have died from these conditions.”

— Samuel, H-2A worker and organizer

What’s next

The judge in the case against the farm labor contracting company will decide on Tuesday whether to allow the defendants out on bail.

The takeaway

The push to expand the flawed H-2A temporary farmworker visa program, without addressing its structural issues and lack of oversight, risks subjecting more migrant workers to exploitation, abuse, and even human trafficking. Meaningful reform to protect worker rights and safety is needed, but has been resisted by the powerful agricultural lobby.