| Abstrakt: |
Human migration is not a novel concept; people haue always been on the moue. Reasons for migration vary: some moue for economic opportunities, some to study, others to be with family. Climate disasters are forcing masses of people to migrate to more hospitable places. Arguably, the biggest motivation for global migration is to seek employment, particularly in agricultural labor. In response to the rise of global migration, many countries, including the United States, developed uarious employment programs to keep track of who entered the country and for how long. Often, these programs required workers to apply for a visa, which provided legal status. One such program is the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Guest Worker Program, which allows US. employers to petition for noncitizen workers to enter the country and perform seasonal agricultural tabor. On paper the program appears to clearly outline responsibilities and expectations of both employers and employees, but the program's flaws leave H-2A workers particularly susceptible to employer abuses. Both Congress and the Department of Labor attempted to update the H-2A program to address the constant, fluctuating demand for agricultural labor. In March 2021, lawmakers passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which made various procedural changes to the H-2A program. More recently, on October 12, 2022, the Department of Labor added a final rule to the Federal Register that further amended the H-2A program. The rule attempted to strengthen worker protections and program integrity, modernize the application process, and expand employer access to the program. Despite these efforts to strengthen the H-2A program and invest in worker protections, these limited changes are unlikely to remedy the problems that persist with temporary guest worker programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
