How farm work became the exception to Trump's border crackdown episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 11, 2026 · 33 MIN

How farm work became the exception to Trump's border crackdown

from Code Switch

The Trump administration has been closing off nearly every pathway into the U.S. — except one. The H-2A visa is for the seasonal workers who pick the fruits and vegetables in your grocery store, and it’s the only federal visa program still growing: up 500% since 2012, even though pretty much everyone hates it. NPR’s Ximena Bustillo traces how the history of agricultural labor created this problematic program we can’t live without.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 11, 2026

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How farm work became the exception to Trump's border crackdown

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