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Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the H-2A migrant visa program that is being consolidated under her department allows American farmers and ranchers to have access to the workforce they need, noting that the program will now be faster and more affordable.
In an exclusive interview with Fox Business’ Edward Lawrence, the secretary said the program — which allows agricultural employers to temporarily hire foreign workers — is not being expanded and will not allow amnesty for illegal migrants.
“The program is already in play, and it’s already in law,” she said. “And it’s something that Congress has already determined that needs to happen for our migrant farmworkers so that our American farmers and ranchers have access to the workforce that they need.”
“But the one thing that wasn’t being done was how quickly the program could be administered,” she continued, adding that the farmers she has spoken to are not sure when and where they will have the workers they need and if they will have them when they need them.
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“I wanted to make sure that this program really became holistic in what’s already in place, what the law is. So it’s not an amnesty program. And it’s not even a new program. It’s just going to be better, faster and more affordable,” she added.
Chavez-DeRemer noted that the program will now be brought under the Department of Labor, whereas it is currently under the Labor, Homeland Security and State departments.
“This is going to be the one-stop shop,” she said. “So the Office of Immigration Policy will be under the Department of Labor in the Secretary’s office. So we can keep an eye on it and offer concierge service to our farmers and ranchers across this country.”
The secretary emphasized that the update is “not an expansion of anything” and aims to ensure that the program that is in place works.
When asked if there would be enough visas for the agricultural workers needed, she said Congress “deals with the numbers” but that “we’re never going to displace the American worker.”
“We want to make sure that we have American workers there,” she said. “But if we don’t have those at the time, then we want to follow the law and assist Congress. If they want to, choose to change those numbers, that’s up to them. But we’ll give them the information that they need from the Department of Labor.”
Chavez-DeRemer was also asked about why she believes the number of native-born workers has increased by two million people and the number of foreign-born workers has decreased by 543,000 workers since President Donald Trump returned to office.
“That’s exactly the president’s agenda. Focusing on the American worker, making sure that they come first, America first policies. These are nothing. This is nothing new. This is what he said on the campaign trail. It is what he promised the American people,” she said.
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The secretary also addressed her role in a pending executive order directing the Labor Department and Securities and Exchange Commission to provide guidance for employers and plan administrators to include investments and private assets in 401(k) plans.
“What the Biden administration did was put their thumb on the scale and determined well outside the scope of any fiduciary to determine where people want to invest their dollars,” she said. “What we did for the 2022 rule was roll that back. It’s up to the fiduciaries and anybody who wants to invest in their foreign care. If it’s cryptocurrency, that’s up to them. Their fiduciary is not the federal government.”
“The Biden administration really overstepped there,” the secretary continued.
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