Jul 18, 2024

Despite working in deadly heat, study shows migrant workers keep Americans fed

Even though they brave extreme heat, a new study shows migrant workers remain dedicated to harvesting the crops that feed Americans.

New data analysis by the American Immigration Council (AIC) finds that migrant farmworkers play a key role in feeding Americans, even as they are increasingly vulnerable to working outdoors in extreme heat.

The data is explored in the council’s new report, “The Expanding Role of H-2A Workers in U.S. Agriculture.”

AIC’s data analysis finds that farmworkers in the U.S. with H-2A status — which covers temporary or seasonal agricultural work (and allows employers to hire foreign nationals when there’s a shortage of domestic workers) — are increasingly in demand, in order to pick and clean the fruits, vegetables and nuts supplied in supermarkets across the country and help reduce the country’s reliance on imported food, according to a news release.

Over a five-year period from 2017 to 2022, the number of H-2A workers grew nearly 65%. More parts of the country expressed demand for these workers, with the number of counties where employers requested H-2A workers increasing by 35%. By 2022, two-thirds of all U.S. counties had H-2A workers, according to the release.

All this has helped fill critical labor shortages across U.S. farms amidst a persistent lack of workers.

“Even as some of our political leaders are pushing a smear campaign against immigrants in order to stoke fear, the reality is that immigrants are keeping us fed and our supermarkets stocked,” Nan Wu, AIC’s director of research, said in the release. “Without this critical support from migrant farm workers, American food production would wither, and families already grappling with high grocery bills would pay the price.”

The data analysis finds that while H-2A farmworkers are providing a lifeline for American agriculture, they are particularly vulnerable to getting sick or dying from extreme heat. The U.S. counties with the largest number of H-2A farmworkers coincide with some of the hottest regions in the country, such as Florida. In other parts of the U.S., including Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico and Texas, over a quarter of H2-A farmworkers are required to work during months when the local temperature exceeds 90°F on average, according to the release.

“Migrant farmworkers are keeping us fed through the deadly temperatures sweeping the country right now,” Steve Hubbard, AIC’s senior data scientist, said in the release. “Instead of vilifying migrant workers, we should champion and protect them. No one in this country should have to die of heat while picking crops.”

Other study findings include:

States that have recently pushed legally dubious anti-immigration laws are among those that most benefit from H-2A farmworkers. Texas had the highest percentage increase in the number of H-2A workers between 2017 and 2022, tripling from 3,700 to 11,700, according to the release.

Meanwhile, Florida had the most H-2A workers: 51,000 people.

At the county level, Moore County in North Carolina and Yuma County in Arizona — states where there have been recent efforts to push hateful anti-immigration bills — were among the top counties that had the most H-2A farmworkers, according to the release.

There is a shortage of young farmworkers. According to the council’s data analysis, the average age of all crop production laborers increased from 39.6 in 2006 to 40.6 in 2022, while the average age of immigrant farm laborers rose from 37.2 in 2006 to 41.6 in 2022. This indicates a declining share of young crop laborers, especially immigrant crop laborers, in the U.S. agricultural workforce.

Most H2-A workers fill open jobs through farm labor contractors, brokers who recruit and hire farmworkers directly and arrange their transportation, housing, and food. These brokers also experienced increased need for migrant workers. The proportion of people hired through H-2A visas via contractors surged from 15% in 2010 to 44% in 2022, according to the release.

Based in Washington, D.C., the American Immigration Council works to shape how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration.