Failing to fix migrant labor system threatens farmers, workers and U.S. food supply | Editorial

Washington’s agricultural sector faces a dire labor shortage. But that’s not even the worst part.

Elected leaders have watched the crisis unfold for decades without acting. Now that the system is on the brink of collapse, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., has proposed yet another solution. Let’s hope that this time, Congress can finally get something done.

As the Tri-City Herald’s Cory McCoy recently reported, the 311,000 H2A Visas granted to guest workers in 2023 is far short of the number that farmers requested and, worse, far less than the real labor demand.

About 10% of all visa holders – most of them Mexican nationals – work in Washington, accounting for about one-third of the agricultural workforce. Washington’s farm worker labor force peaked at 100,000 workers in 2018.

The H2A system is antiquated.

Designed decades ago to protect the rights of domestic workers, it has not kept pace with changes in technology and labor market realities.

Many farm owners therefore go outside the overly bureaucratic visa system and choose undocumented laborers instead. Even they struggle to fill labor needs.

Newhouse’s Farm Workforce Modernization Act addresses some of the most glaring inefficiencies. It would overhaul the H2A program, streamlining processes and enhancing flexibility for employers.

In return, it would require agricultural employers to use a newly upgraded E-Verify system, ensuring compliance with immigration laws while safeguarding the rights of authorized workers.

The bill outlines a pathway for agricultural workers to earn legal status through continued employment in the industry. By creating a separate category of visas with longer time frames and less restrictive renewals, the legislation aims to ensure a stable and sustainable workforce for years to come.

Crucially, the bill also tackles the persistent issue of housing costs, allocating funds to preserve existing housing stock and incentivizing the construction of new accommodations for farm workers. This investment not only improves living conditions but also alleviates financial burdens on employers.

There are kinks to work out, of course.

Some provisions of the bill won’t fly with Democrats, including a freeze on the Adverse Effect Wage Rate for H2A workers. Other lawmakers are sure to object – philosophically or practically – to the idea of government subsidies to help employers pay for housing.

Critics from both political sides raise the kinds of well-trodden objections that have stymied meaningful reform in the past. Some on the right worry about the immigration status of workers’ hypothetical future children. Some on the left say that worker protections in the bill don’t go far enough.

Partisans have used the country’s self-imposed immigration challenges to incite voters into a froth of anger rather than compromise on solutions. Their pandering to their bases has impeded attempts at commonsense reform of the outdated and burdensome H2A Visa program.

Republicans have been the greater culprits of late, though.

Hostility to immigrants has become a core GOP tenet under former President Donald Trump. Before anyone praises Newhouse for his bill, remember that he was complicit by association in his party’s rejection of the recent deal that would have implemented some reforms in conjunction with aid to Ukraine and Israel.

Lawmakers and America have run out of options.

Washington’s agricultural sector isn’t just another industry; it’s the lifeblood of our state’s economy and a cornerstone of our nation’s food supply.

Failure to act now risks not only the livelihoods of countless farmworkers and growers but also the nation’s food security. This is not a game.

On the whole, Newhouse’s bill offers bipartisan solutions, allowing lawmakers to secure a prosperous future for a vital industry and to make up for years of shameful shirking of their duty.

They must put aside their differences and prioritize the needs of the farmers who feed the nation.