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Does include H-2A visas for immigrant agricultural workers? Which would be weird since @DHSgov just streamlined the process days ago to ensure farmers have laborers. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639
About 9,000 of the 40,000 seasonal farm workers in Michigan are H-2A immigrants. While the doesn't sound like a big number, they aren't distributed evenly but by application. So if one farm can't get laborers, that crop doesn't get picked and to your table.
The critics will point to the more than 1 million newly unemployed in Michigan. The average wage for those farm jobs is $14.40/hour (averaged over a 40-work week). So that's $576/ week. Current unemployment under the pandemic tops out at $960/week. Those jobs won't get filled.
Imagine a grow season with no Michigan asparagus or our revered cherries. That's a potential with no H-2As.
Now I suspect this will NOT include H-2As. Trump has been trying to recover farmers since tariffs damaged their valuable exports. But this does create even more confusion at a very critical time for Michigan crop farmers.
The confusion is going to be piles red tape that exists amid a global pandemic. Imagine being a Mexican national trying to get across the border right now with an H-2A visa. Or if you're in country, securing transport is a problem w/ flight and bus routes significantly reduced.
What I can't figure out is why announce this at all? Canadian border is shut, Southern border is mostly shut. There's almost no international flights. Has immigration been functioning normally this whole time and I didn't know it?
I'm guessing this answers the question. If DHS have been involved for weeks, the 5-day old streamlining of H-2As is likey still valid. https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1252427770468040706?s=19
