Dozens of congressional Republicans have signed on to legislation that would provide amnesty to illegal aliens who work in agriculture.
H.R. 9535, titled the “Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026,” is sponsored by Representative Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, and co-sponsored by 55 representatives, 49 of whom are Republicans.
If enacted, H.R. 9535 would expand the H-2A agricultural visa program to allow visa holders to work year-round, rather than only seasonally or temporarily. Additionally, the bill would allow illegal migrants to apply for H-2A visas, effectively providing them with a form of amnesty.
Conservatives have expressed alarm about the bill, labeling it a “betrayal” of the party’s immigration agenda and mobilizing President Donald Trump’s base to tank a yearslong effort aimed at helping farmers. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, and the House Freedom Caucus’ bloc of hard-right lawmakers are piling on against H.R. 9535.
Thompson currently holds a 58-percent Freedom Index score, indicating poor adherence to the U.S. Constitution and America’s founding principles.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter, he stated: “With the border now secure, it is time to address these shortcomings and provide fair and legal pathways for all of agriculture to obtain workers when they are unable to find U.S. citizens willing to perform these noble but arduous tasks.”
The bill has been criticized as a dangerous step that undermines long-term border security, with experts warning that the Trump administration’s actions against mass migration have relied almost entirely on executive orders—making such policies vulnerable to reversal under future administrations. Before even considering amnesty proposals, Congress must enact strong legislation repealing the Hart-Celler Act and other pro-mass-migration laws enacted over the last 80 years.
