This stark admission comes in the context of escalating enforcement under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which ramps up immigration controls without delivering meaningful alternatives for ag labor. "Unless the Department acts immediately to provide a source of stable and lawful labor, this threat will grow," the agency stated, directly countering Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins' recent claim that deportations would lead to a "100 percent American" farm workforce.

The Labor Department offered a sobering assessment: American workers are not willing or qualified to replace undocumented farm labor. In its analysis, the agency concluded that "qualified and eligible U.S. workers will not make themselves available in sufficient numbers," citing both a lack of interest and skill among domestic workers for the physically demanding, low-wage jobs common in agriculture.

At the heart of the Department's response is a new rule, implemented on October 2, that revises the H-2A visa program, a legal pathway for seasonal agricultural workers. The rule, aimed at avoiding "imminent widespread disruption across the U.S. agricultural sector," lowers the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) used to calculate pay for H-2A workers, effectively reducing wages across the country. Depending on the state, wages will drop between $1.12 and $3.18 per hour, saving employers an estimated $2.46 billion annually.

This change affects roughly 22,000 farms and 371,000 immigrant workers, based on 2024 data. It is also expected to drive an increase in legal seasonal hiring, with the Department estimating 119,000 additional H-2A workers will be employed as a result. The wage adjustment comes after the USDA, under Secretary Rollins, discontinued the Farm Labor Survey, which farm groups criticized for inflating wage benchmarks. The Labor Department will now rely on its own Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) to set future rates.

Yet, industry experts argue that the reforms, while financially helpful, fall short of solving the broader labor crisis. Stuart Anderson, director of the National Foundation for American Policy, said that while loosening H-2A rules helps, many sectors-like dairy-can't use the program at all, leaving producers with no viable labor options under current law. Moreover, many farmers want protections for undocumented workers already in the U.S., who remain vital to operations but face deportation risks.

Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition, emphasized the stakes: "Food security IS national security," she said. "Now, even the Department of Labor is warning that mass immigration enforcement could destabilize the food supply and raise prices. If we don't have a stable workforce, we risk both our food security and our national security."

Despite these warnings, conservative voices like Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, supported the crackdown, arguing that it pushes farmers to stop relying on low-wage immigrant labor. However, most agricultural economists and labor advocates point out that without immediate reforms or pathways for undocumented workers, disruptions to planting, harvesting, and processing will ripple through the food supply chain.

The Labor Department's statements mark a rare public acknowledgment from within the administration that aggressive immigration policy is clashing with the economic realities of modern farming. While the new H-2A rule provides some relief, it also underscores the fragility of a system where more than half the farm workforce is foreign-born, and a significant portion lacks legal status.

As the 2025 harvest season intensifies, producers face labor shortages, wage uncertainty, and mounting regulatory pressure - all under the shadow of political rhetoric promising tighter borders. With food price inflation already straining households, the administration is under increasing pressure to balance its immigration goals with the practical demands of a food system dependent on migrant labor.