Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says it's problematic that 45 Republicans have signed on to the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026 (H.R. 9535).
Introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA), the bipartisan legislation says its goal is to reform the H-2A guestworker program. That is the work program, overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor, that U.S-based farmers and meat packing plants use to hire foreign laborers.
Supporters say it addresses severe agricultural labor shortages by expanding visa access, controlling employer costs, and streamlining the federal application process.
Critics of the bill describe it as "amnesty" for illegal aliens because it allows illegal farmer workers to apply for an H2-A visa. That criticism is true, since the bill describes farm workers who were "unlawfully present" in the United States as of May 31, 2026.
"It demonstrates the power of the agricultural lobby," Mehlman tells American Family News.
"They have been lobbying for cheap labor, and for the use of illegal aliens, for years and years," Mehlman complains. "This is just a continuation of the same. It continues to give the agricultural employers the upper hand to dictate wages and working conditions for their labor force."
The agricultural lobby is a coalition of farm organizations, commodity groups, and agribusinesses that advocates for policies benefiting U.S. agriculture. It does not spend as much on lobbying as industries like pharmaceuticals, finance, or technology, but it is widely considered one of Washington's most influential interest groups because of its strong bipartisan support in Congress and the political influence of rural states.
The amnesty bill is sure to stir opposition from many Republicans and conservatives, who support President Trump's promise of "mass deportations" of illegal immigrants.
President Trump, however, has publicly expressed sympathy for the agriculture industry and its need for foreign laborers. Last year, he wrote on Truth Social that the "aggressive policy on immigration" is taking away workers from farmers and the hotel industry.
"We can't let our farmers not have anybody," he told CNBC, also last year, about farmer workers.
This week, Trump told a Daily Caller reporter he wasn't aware of the GOP-sponsored bill.
"I don't know about it. I'll take a look at it," he said.
Because lawmakers have so much on their plates, Mehlman questions whether this proposal will go anywhere before the end of the legislative calendar.
"Lots of bills get introduced just for the sake of introducing them," he notes. "This may be one of them, but it's still a bad idea."
