Florida's farms and seasonal businesses, which lead the nation in using legal H-2A visa workers, face a new challenge.
Industry leaders reported media coverage of immigration enforcement is creating fear, making it harder to recruit legal seasonal workers. Concurrently, the state legislature is advancing a bill to mandate universal E-Verify, which is a federally operated employment verification system. It passed the House this week but must still navigate the Senate.
Chris Ball, CEO of visa services provider másLabor, explained Florida's strict existing laws already shape the labor market.
"Part of the reason why Florida has the highest participation rate in the H-2A program is it's hard to hire illegals. Very hard to do it," Ball acknowledged. "You're going to pay them cash and you're going to have to be pretty sneaky on how to do it because you can’t do it the illegal way. And that's why Florida has the highest."
READ MORE: Florida's agriculture industry could suffer if H-2A workers are too hesitant to come
Ball’s company provides about 50,000 foreign seasonal workers annually to U.S. businesses, half in agriculture. The expansion of E-Verify, proposed in House Bill 197, would apply to businesses of all sizes. A 2025 Small Business Administration report finds more than 475,000 small businesses in Florida have fewer than 20 employees, highlighting the scale of the potential new mandate.
Despite the structural reliance on the legal visa program, Ball noted the current political climate is creating a direct recruitment challenge. Farmers using the H-2A program face high costs for housing, food, and visa logistics but have no alternative for securing labor. He hears the challenges firsthand as he recruits for the spring season.
"We have multiple recruiting offices in Mexico and they're having to have pretty robust extra conversations with these folks to convince them that it's safe to come back to the United States and they will not be deported," Ball pointed out. "Some of them are still choosing not to come."
Ball stated his company has created a smartphone app for workers to digitally carry their legal documents to ease fears during potential encounters with immigration authorities. He added the economic incentive for workers remains powerful but policy changes and enforcement actions create a complex landscape for essential industries.
This story was originally produced by Public News Service.
