The agricultural production sector is of vital importance to the United States. The production of food crops such as meat, dairy, vegetables and fruits supports the majority of the country’s food supply. Immigrants account for 73% of U.S. farm workers, the majority of whom are of Hispanic descent. Yet the government deported 3 million undocumented immigrants between 2009 and 2016. Imagining a scenario in which the national food supply does not depend on these immigrants is very difficult.
The population census has shown how population growth in urban areas, thus there is a large decrease in rural communities. In recent years, the number of new immigrants coming to the country to work in agriculture has declined by 75 percent. High agricultural production areas such as Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Iowa and others have seen severe population declines in most of their counties. The agriculture sector accounts for more than a trillion dollars of the U.S. economy. Recent wage increases indicate that this has led to a major labor shortage on U.S. farms, making it difficult for many producers to stay in business and expand their operations. The remaining workers are also aging, which means the shortage will likely worsen as they retire. This is why migrant labor is necessary for everyone.
An important point to address is that more than 50% of agricultural workers are undocumented. Therefore, they do not receive protection under the legal framework for workers in the U.S, even though the vast majority have been in the country for more than 10 years. The main legal avenue for most farmers to employ foreign labor is through the H-2A visa program. These visas allow farmers to hire non-citizens for seasonal and temporary work. However the problem is that these workers encounter scenarios of lower than advertised wages, less work than promised, dirty and dilapidated housing, dangerous working conditions and even forced labor or slavery.
These workers pay taxes and contribute to the aggregate American economy, even though they are not protected. The labor force depends on millions of undocumented workers, a clear demonstration of the country’s labor deficiencies. However, the absence or deportation of these illegal workers would have catastrophic consequences for the food supply. If illegal workers were removed from the dairy sector, economic performance decreases by 30 to 60 billion annually.
One of the big problems is that many of the farm workers constantly switch to less demanding and difficult sectors due to the harsh conditions of this trade. As a result, local farmers are negatively impacted in their economic development. The shortage of agricultural labor accounts for up to $3.3 billion in lost GDP growth in 2012.
The optimal solution to this phenomenon is to reinforce the status and create labor inclusion programs for workers. Contrary to popular belief, the price of products does not increase severely, the economic model would adapt to the corresponding production per worker. It would also have a positive effect on the U.S. federal budget, increasing tax revenues.
Legalization of status increases the nation’s employability rate and would improve the performance of U.S.-born workers. This reform gives them more income, keeping businesses open due to the reduction in production costs. The need for a living wage is a fundamental right, even though labor exploitation continues to exist in the US. Coming out of the labor shadow to legitimize themselves as workers would include these members in the active participation of our community, generating an economic and social aggregate for people who consider America their home.