Idaho U.S. Rep. Simpson supports overhaul of H-2A migrant farm worker program 

Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson recently signed on to a renewed attempt to overhaul the visa program for agricultural migrant workers. 

The proposed legislation includes a change long-sought by Idaho’s dairy industry leaders — it would allow year-round agriculture producers to access workers, instead of just for seasonal labor. 

“This is an issue that I’ve been working on for probably 20 years with the dairy industry in Idaho and the challenges they face,” Simpson said at a June 30 press conference to announce the legislation. 

The bill, H.R. 9535, would make several changes to the H-2A visa program, which currently allows farm employers to hire workers from outside the country only if the work is seasonal and temporary. The bill is sponsored by Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, and co-sponsored by a mostly Republican group of 49 congressional lawmakers. 

Unauthorized immigrants are key players in Idaho’s economy, agricultural sector, study shows

Around 90% of Idaho dairy workers are foreign-born and Spanish-speaking, according to the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. Industry leaders, including dairymen’s association CEO Rick Naerebout, have long bemoaned the fact that year-round agricultural producers cannot utilize the H-2A visa program to hire workers, and that Americans are not lining up to take these jobs. Because of this, the industry relies on undocumented workers, Naerebout previously told the Sun. 

Naerebout lauded the proposed legislation in a press release sent by Simpson’s office. 

“We are deeply grateful that the Congressman is once again showing that he is willing to lead on securing a workforce for Idaho’s dairy farms,” Naerebout said. “Idaho’s farm families are the backbone of our state and having access to a secure, stable agricultural workforce is key to the economic success of those farms and our rural communities.” 

What would the bill do? 

The overhaul of the farm worker program would allow workers to remain with the same employer for up to 350 days a year. Currently, job contracts under H-2A may last 10 months, or just over 300 days a year. The average contract is around six months, according to a 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture report.   

The bill would also allow employers to apply for staggered entry of workers to do year-round work. 

The bill would also create a pathway to accessing a legal work visa for certain undocumented agricultural workers with a required background check, but it would not provide a pathway to citizenship. 

The fees for farmers participating in the program would be reduced under the legislation. 

Simpson says passing bill will be ‘challenge,’ but confident it can be done 

Simpson at the June 30 press conference acknowledged that there have been multiple unsuccessful efforts to update the H-2A program since it was established in 1987. 

Simpson said he and Washington state U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse have brought “several bills,” but that it “became impossible to get it done with the open border.” 

“Since the president has closed the border, I think we can get this done,” Simpson said. 

The bill has 49 cosponsors, four of whom are Democrats and 45 are Republicans. The issue has divided members of both parties in the past. 

In April, the Trump administration cut guest worker wages in the program to ease a farm labor shortage. The move was condemned by liberals, advocates for migrant workers, and hardline conservatives, such as those from the influential Heritage Foundation, NPR reported. 

Simpson argued that the bill won’t only help farmers or the workers because it also directly affects the domestic food supply.

“This is a tough challenge … any time you mention the word H-2A or immigration, anything like that, it creates controversy out there,” he said. “This is something that’s needed, not just for agriculture but for the American people.”