'Not Amnesty Lite': Trump's new plan to fast track migrant work visas
The Trump administration is responding to concerns from farmers and hotel owners by launching a program to simplify the visa process for migrant workers. This move aims to address reported labor shortages in agriculture and hospitality that Trump’s immigration policies have exacerbated.
Farmers claim that up to 40% of their workforce is noncitizen labor, which has reportedly become increasingly unstable due to deportation efforts. The new Office of Immigration Policy intends to expedite visa approvals while ensuring “taxpayer-funded workforce services are reserved for American workers — not illegal immigrants,” according to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
"This is not amnesty. It's not amnesty lite," a senior administration official said. "No one who is illegally here is being given a pathway to citizenship or residency."
However, this program won't provide pathways to citizenship for those currently in the U.S. illegally, Trump officials claim. Some administration officials caution that Trump's leniency may alarm MAGA hardliners, who equate any leniency with amnesty, or at a minimum, a very easy on-ramp and pathway to it.
Stephen Miller actively worked to prevent the president from supporting any policy that could be labeled as "amnesty." However, Trump rejected one of Miller's proposals: a "touchback" program requiring undocumented workers to return to their home countries, obtain a U.S. work visa, and then re-enter the U.S. A source who heard Trump’s comments noted his humorous take on Miller’s hardline stance, quoting him as saying, "You could have a person who has been here for 20 years and has a clean record and everyone loves them, and Stephen will say deport them."
The agricultural sector faces years of adjustment to achieve a fully authorized workforce, as many unauthorized workers have reportedly departed. Despite the challenges, the administration continues to emphasize support for American farmers to re-frame the conversation.