Immigration & Visas

For the Grange, a stable, consistent, and legal labor force is at the center of the immigration debate. No sector of the economy is more reliant on foreign-born labor than agriculture and, as immigration to the United States has begun to slow, many farms find themselves with a severe labor shortage. Additionally, many studies have shown that each lost worker on the farm can result in the loss of 2 to 3 more jobs ‘upstream’ or ‘downstream’- in sectors like packaging, transportation, and advertising. Add to that the fact that the migrant workforce has consistently declined since 1990, more than a 60% loss, and we can see that American is facing a new and unique labor crisis. But what can we do?

Grange policy comes down to three important tenants- stability, predictability, and legality. By encouraging the federal government to expand or streamline the H-2A Visa program, farms can receive the seasonal workers they desperately need at fair market wages. E-Verify programs, while a positive start to enforcing legal immigration, threaten to disrupt agricultural labor forces if they are ‘rolled out’ too quickly. The Grange encourages states and the federal government to implement E-Verify programs only when their effects on the local labor force have been thoroughly researched. By working with groups like the Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC), we’re able to ensure that rural America is able to produce to their fullest potential, while still respecting U.S. law and the rights of legal immigrants.