JD Vance pushes for automation of agriculture industry, 'no amnesty' for illegal immigrant farm workers

Vice President JD Vance called for more automation in the agricultural industry when discussing AI policy on Wednesday. The question came up when he was asked about the topic of illegal immigrant labor in the farming industry.

Vance was asked about how the administration may find a "middle ground" when it comes to the handling of illegal immigration cases when people have been in the United States for years working on farms as well as in other industries.

"What the President has said is, number one, we're not going to do any amnesty in this country. We're actually not going to tell people who have come into the country illegally that they're allowed to break our laws and be rewarded for it. We're just not going to do that. But there are a whole host of other ways, when we talk to, you know, agricultural industries and others, where they say, 'Well, you know, we really need labor.'"

"Well, there are a whole host of ways in which you can try to solve those problems. My favorite solution for those problems is automation, right? I actually think there's a lot of evidence that the American agricultural economy is a little behind the eight ball when it comes to using technology. There are ways where we're talking about facilitating the use of automation. So we're not going to have amnesty, but we also recognize that there are a lot of industries out there we want to thrive," Vance added.

The comments from Vance come as the Trump administration has faced pressure from some industries, including agriculture, to allow for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have been working in the US for a long time.

Vance touched on other points of AI policy during the appearance on Wednesday, including his view that the US should embrace innovation in AI which he said will ultimately improve life in America as well as bring more jobs, even if some are displaced by technology.