In this opinion piece, Dave Puglia, the president and CEO of Western Growers, argues that the nation’s food production is vulnerable to indiscriminate immigration sweeps amid congressional inaction on H-2A reforms.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have triggered a hot debate among Republicans over visas for foreign tech workers, but little is being said about the fact that critical aspects of America’s food production are increasingly strained by a lack of workers and a foreign visa program that chronically fails to fill the needs of America’s farmers.
Without new legislation from Congress, the H-2A visa system for foreign guest workers in agriculture has been stuck in first gear, and as a result more of our food production has moved to foreign countries.
The need for skilled workers in the technology industry is certainly of national importance, but it makes no sense that the entire foreign visa debate is centered only on that sector of our economy. Securing America’s ability to feed itself must rank as the highest imperative.
Click here to read the full piece in Agri-pulse.