The House Bill is an overhaul of the H-2A seasonal migrant worker program, which employers use to hire foreign workers when domestic labor is difficult to obtain.
The House Bill is an overhaul of the H-2A seasonal migrant worker program, which employers use to hire foreign workers when domestic labor is difficult to obtain. Under the bill, illegal immigrants working in agriculture would be allowed to apply for H-2A and have their immigration violations waived.
Additionally, the bill would allow H-2A labor certifications to remain valid for up to three years rather than one year. Supporters of the bill believe the measure is necessary for employers to keep their farms running, while critics argued immigrants who broke US immigration law should not be given a "free pass" and compared it to "amnesty."
"My office handles many immigration related cases for people that are trying to do it the right way. You can't break the law and get a free pass," Republican Rep. Anna Paulina of Florida told Newsweek. "I am for a temporary pause on immigration until we reform the system. It is completely broken currently and largely due to the amount of people that are here illegally bogging down the system."
Texas Congressman Chip Roy stated his opposition to the bill on X, writing, "No amnesty. Secure the border for good. More deportations."
"I will NEVER support amnesty for illegal aliens. DEPORT THE ALL," Rep. Andy Ogles declared on X.
Additionally, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in and said: "No amnesty! Amnesty is NOT what people voted for in 2024!"
In a statement to Newsweek, Julia Gelatt, associate director of the US Immigration Policy Program at the nonpartisan think tank Migration Policy Institute, stated: "I don't think there is a standard definition of 'amnesty.' In one sense, because this bill would open the H-2A program to people currently in the United States without status, and would not require them to pay a fine or face other forms of sanctions, one could potentially call it amnesty. But the word amnesty is more commonly applied to proposals that give unauthorized immigrants a path to legal permanent status in the United States, or a pathway to citizenship, which this bill does not do."
The legislation, introduced by Republican House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, has garnered the backing of 51 House Republicans and four Democrats. Farmers have contended that labor shortages pose a threat to production.
"There is no greater national security threat than disruptions to our food supply," Thompson said in a press release. "The Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026 makes the practical, commonsense reforms required to prevent these disruptions by providing a workforce that meets agriculture's needs- now and in the future."
When pressed by a reporter about the proposal, President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would look into it.
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