United Fresh reacts to H-2A visa program commitment 

On May 24, the departments of State, Agriculture, Labor and Homeland Security released a joint statement saying the four departments are working together to propose streamlining, simplifying and improving the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program.

“The Trump administration is committed to modernizing the H-2A visa program rules in a way that is responsive to stakeholder concerns and that deepens our confidence in the program as a source of legal and verified labor for agriculture – while also reinforcing the program’s strong employment and wage protections for the American workforce,” the statement read. “In addition, by improving the H-2A visa program and substantially reducing its complexity, the administration also plans to incentivize farmers’ use of the E-Verify program to ensure their workforce is authorized to work in the United States.”

The United Fresh Produce Association released its own statement saying it was pleased with the announcement from the Trump administration.

“We look forward to continuing our work with the administration to meet our industry’s need for adequate labor,” United Fresh said. “The fruit and vegetable industry is highly dependent on our workforce in order to sustain and grow our industry to meet increasing demand for fresh fruits and vegetables.  United Fresh has been in constant dialogue with Congress, the administration and other stakeholders to convey that the fruit and vegetable industry needs a streamlined solution to our critical labor issues.”

The group said it will continue to work to drive improvements to the current labor challenges through both legislation and regulatory solutions.