Trump Administration working on a “temporary pass” for illegal farmworkers

President Trump is again addressing the illegal ag workforce.

In an interview with Fox News, he said his team is working on the issue, and it involves giving farmers more control. Officials are working on a “temporary pass,” allowing illegal farmworkers to stay in the United States while still paying taxes. Trump says farmers would have more say in the situation as well, noting America’s producers are not hiring violent offenders.

President Trump also expressed concern with a lack of willing workers, saying the current workforce is all some farmers have and warns farms could be destroyed if all the labor is taken away.

Related Stories
The dairy industry is urging Congress to advance legislation to make the H-2A program more workable for year-round dairy operations.
Industry leaders and lawmakers are looking at legal pathways to address the need for farm workers.
Kansas, North Dakota, and Nebraska are states where H-2A wage rates are increasing by roughly 20 percent in some cases.
For agricultural producers, finding workers is only part of the challenge. The cost of hiring has also become a growing concern.
The National Federation of Independent Business says 27 percent of owners named labor quality or availability their biggest problem, up eight points from June.
Border crossings have fallen, but ranchers say suspected smugglers are still moving through rural areas.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have both opposed export taxes on natural resources headed to the United States.
USDA’s Ranchers First Initiative includes new risk management tools, processing programs and efforts to rebuild the American beef herd.
Crude availability may remain adequate, but tight distillate inventories leave less cushion if agricultural and freight demand strengthen through harvest.
The Louisiana facility would produce over a million metric tons of phosphate fertilizer each year. CHS says it would be the first new U.S. phosphate fertilizer plant built since 1984.
For soybean producers, continued biofuel expansion increasingly depends on whether refiners can physically produce and blend enough fuel to meet federal targets.