Immigration Subcommittee to Examine Agricultural Guestworker Program

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at 2:00 p.m., the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled,  “Agricultural Guestworkers: Meeting the Growing Needs of American Agriculture.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMgnr2Cxwjg The current agricultural guestworker program, known as the H-2A program, is costly, time-consuming, and flawed. Each year, employers using the H-2A program have to comply with a lengthy labor certification process that is slow and plagued with red tape. In addition, the H-2A program forces these employers to pay an artificially inflated wage rate—higher than the prevailing wage in their region—and provide housing and daily transportation for their workers at their own expense. As a result of complying with H-2A regulations, employers using the program almost always find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. At this week’s hearing, the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee will examine the broken H-2A program and look for solutions to replace it with a more workable agricultural guestworker program. Witnesses for the hearing are:

• The Honorable David Valadao, Congressman of the 21st District of California, U.S. House of Representatives
• Ms. Sarah Frey, President & CEO, Frey Farms
• Mr. Jon Wyss, Orchard Owner, Gebbers Farms
• Mr. Giev Kashkooli, Vice President, United Farm Workers

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below in advance of this hearing. Chairman Goodlatte: “As a former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, I have had the opportunity to learn first-hand what farmers face in dealing with the H-2A program. It’s clear that the current program is outdated and broken for American farmers, and it’s well past the time to replace it with a reliable, efficient, and fair program and provide American farmers access to a legal, stable supply of workers, both in the short- and long-term, for seasonal as well as year-round work. I look forward to hearing from witnesses about their ideas on how to make the guestworker program work better for American farmers and consumers, and hope to introduce legislation soon to replace the broken H-2A program.” This hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.  Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.