Mississippi Rep. Trent Kelly is backing a bipartisan effort to overhaul the federal agricultural guest worker program, saying changes to the system are needed to ensure farmers have enough workers to plant and harvest their crops.
Kelly, a Republican representing Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, is an original cosponsor of the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, a bill introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.). The bill would make changes to the H-2A visa program, which was established in 1986 to allow agricultural employers to hire foreign workers for temporary agricultural jobs when domestic labor is unavailable.
If passed by both chambers and signed into law, the legislation would expand access to the H-2A program and make changes aimed at controlling costs and reducing the administrative burden of hiring workers. Among other changes, the bill would remove the program’s seasonal-employment requirement, allowing for year-round hires. It was introduced June 30 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Rep. Mike Ezell, a Republican who represents Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District, also joined as a cosponsor earlier this month, bringing the total number of cosponsors to 57.
Kelly said the issue is particularly important for farmers in his district, which is home to one of the largest sweet potato-producing regions in the country.
“You can’t get local labor to do [farm work]. Our farmers have tried,” Kelly said Monday on Mornings with Richard Cross. “So, what we’re wanting to do is make sure we keep work visas for those people who can plant and harvest our crops.”
The proposal comes as Congress continues to debate the role of foreign workers in the U.S. labor force, including concerns about the impact of expanded guest worker programs on American workers.
Kelly emphasized that the H-2A program provides temporary work visas and does not create a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
“There’s a difference between getting a work visa and a path to citizenship,” Kelly said. “Many of these people don’t even want a path to citizenship. They want to come earn, pay taxes on that, send money back home, and go back home and come again the next year to do the harvesting.”
Kelly said he believes expanding access to legal agricultural workers would help Mississippi farmers address labor shortages without replacing available domestic workers.
“I’m very supportive of making sure that we have legal immigrants who are here on work visas to plant our crops and harvest our crops and do all the things that our farmers need,” Kelly said. “It’s just so great to get those workers in here right now.”