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US Farm Labor and H-2A Visas: The Road Ahead

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Deep Run, NC – July, 25, 2023: A Mexican H-2A farm worker packs tobacco leaves on a farm in Eastern North Carolina during the harvest in late July.
Event Description

According to the Farm Bureau, in 2024, 17 percent of the agricultural workforce in the US was comprised of H-2A visa holders. H-2A visas are for temporary agricultural workers in the US and while they may hail from any country, typically, 90 percent come from Mexico. 

Uncertainty remains over the future of the visa program, as debates persist between labor and immigration experts over the impact of H-2A on American workers and employers, and as trade and immigration have become top priorities for the incoming presidential administration. 

This webinar will outline what changes to the H-2A program might look like under the Trump presidency, and how those changes would affect the agricultural sector and the American labor supply.

Agenda

11:00 am Opening Remarks

  • Lila Abed, Director, Mexico Institute

  • Virginia Bullington, Program Coordinator, Mexico Institute

  • Lydia DePillis, Economy Reporter, New York Times

 

11:10 am First Thoughts

  • Philip Martin, Professor Emeritus, Resource and Labor Economics, UC Davis

  • Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies

  • Michael Marsh, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Agricultural Employers

  • Mary Jo Dudley, Director, Cornell Farmworker Program

Moderated by Lydia De Pillis

 

11:45 am Roundtable Discussion  

Free-flowing conversation amongst panelists.

 Moderated by Lydia DePillis

 

12:00 pm Audience Q&A

Audience questions and comments are integrated into the discussion.

Moderated by Lydia DePillis

 

12:25 pm Closing Remarks

  • Lydia DePillis

  • Virginia Bullington

Moderator

Lydia DePillis
Lydia DePillis
Reporter, New York Times

Panelists

Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Professor emeritus of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis
Michael Marsh
Michael Marsh
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Agricultural Employers
Mary Jo Dudley
Mary Jo Dudley
Director, Cornell Farmworker Program, Department of Global Development

Hosted By

Mexico Institute

The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute.    Read more

Mexico Institute