DE SOTO, Kan. — Ahead of the 2024 election, the Trump administration promised to crack down on issues at the southern U.S. border.
An important part of the promise was mass deportations would take place across the United States.
Less than a week into a new presidency, Kansas farmers are wondering what to expect from the agricultural labor force.
"To try to produce the food we all eat is almost impossible without migrant workers," said Steve Bowlin, owner of Bowlin Farms in De Soto, Kansas. "We use the H-2A program through the government to bring in visaed farm workers, because there is not enough workers in the United States to do what we do."
Bowlin Family Farms is a specialty crop operation in eastern Johnson County, Kansas. For the last three years, he's utilized the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker program through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.
"We know 'em like family," Bowlin said. "My concern is with the whole program, it's becoming so expensive. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to afford it.”
Bowlin grows a variety of produce and vegetables in fields and a greenhouse. Ivan and Victor, the two seasonal workers increase the productivity of the farming operation.
"The two of them alone can pick 750 watermelons a day," Bowlin added.
The federally regulated program requires the farm's two employees to pass a rigorous vetting process.
Bowlin acquired an attorney to help with the paperwork side of things. He is required by law, to determine that local labor is insufficient and cannot meet the demands of the job.
Additionally, the federal government requires him to pay adequate wages that do not exceed wages that were to be paid to a U.S. citizen, along with housing. Bowlin takes it upon himself to provide Ivan and Victor with a vehicle and on-the-farm meal access, to boost quality of life in Kansas.
"An apartment in De Soto is $1,000 a month... we pay for it year-round," he explained. "I am willing to pay extra to ensure this place feels more like home."
Bowlin told KSHB 41 that nearly half of his yearly farm income is dedicated to the H-2A program.
His concern comes, as the program has added 'red tape', making it more difficult to qualify for the program.
"If I judge by the last Trump administration, just about every aspect of legal immigration was made more difficult," explained Roger McCrummen, a Kansas City immigration attorney. "Other kinds of work visas slowed down quite a bit and we experienced more challenges and requests for additional evidence denials."
The 2019-2020 National Agricultural Workers Survey suggests, 68% of farm labor in the United States were foreign born and 44% were undocumented.
McCrummen told KSHB 41 that he suggests Congress identify ways to improve legal seasonal work visa programs, the greater challenge comes for agriculture producers utilizing undocumented labor.
"There's no way we can make them legal," McCrummen said. "We can't suddenly convert them into documented workers."
Current immigration policy does not support a swift transfer into legal status. McCrummen believes migrant laborers' place in the U.S. agriculture workforce would create an inflationary impact causing strain on American farmers.
"There is certainly a lot of fears right now about what something like mass deportation is going to do to the workforce," McCrummen added. "It will cost probably in the hundreds of billions of dollars to carry out these removal operations. But, it also deprives US employers of a valuable workforce."
Bowlin's season employees are working in the United States legally. He told KSHB 41 that he doesn't want to ruin a good system, but hopes swift action on the cost involved will be considered by elected officials.
"It would be devastating without the two of them," added Bowlin.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
