Nearly two years of reporting on foreign farmworker abuses in Georgia reveal a conflict between the government's duty to protect H-2A visa workers and its goal to support struggling U.S. farmers. Despite federal protections, many legally admitted workers have faced exploitation by labor contractors.

The H-2A visa program mandates minimum hourly wages and requires farmers to cover housing and transportation costs for workers, contributing to rising program expenses. In response to industry pressure, the Trump administration reduced the hourly pay rate last year, anticipating savings of over $2 billion annually for farmers.

However, these savings come at a cost to workers. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that H-2A workers could lose up to 32% of their annual wages due to the pay rate reduction. This tension reflects broader debates about labor protections, with some arguing that decisions on worker protections should be made by Congress rather than regulatory agencies.

The issue was highlighted during a farmers’ conference in Savannah, Georgia, in January 2025, where farmers expressed concerns about the future of an industry heavily reliant on foreign labor and facing increasing bankruptcies.

As one Georgia farmer noted in a letter to the U.S. government last year, the balance between protecting workers and keeping farms afloat remains a contentious and unresolved challenge.

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“People can certainly differ on whether or not workers should receive more protection under the law,” a source told ProPublica. “But as multiple courts have said, that is a decision for Congress to make in passing laws, not the agency.”

Those savings are projected to cost H-2A workers up to 32% of their annual wages, according to the Economic Policy Institute.