California Farmers Reject USDA Secretary's Claim That…

California Farmers Reject USDA Secretary's Claim That Immigrant Workers Can Be Replaced: 'Uninformed and Out of Touch'

Farm workers in Southern California (Credit: Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)

California agricultural leaders are pushing back against remarks made Tuesday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said farm laborers could be replaced by automation and "able-bodied" U.S. citizens on Medicaid.

"There will be no amnesty. The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way. We move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which, again, with 34 million people, able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do that fairly quickly."

Farmers and industry experts consulted by The Los Angeles Times however say that's not realistic. "I can confidently say that most farmers in the country either laughed out loud or were just deflated by those comments," said Helen McGrath, a citrus and avocado grower in Ventura County. "It just shows how uninformed and out of touch some of these officials are."

More than 40% of crop workers in the U.S. lacked work authorization as of 2022, with California relying heavily on immigrant labor. Immigration raids in recent months have worsened shortages. According to a Reuters report from late June, up to 70% of farmworkers in Ventura County stopped showing up for work that month amid increased ICE enforcement. "If 70% of your workforce doesn't show up, 70% of your crop doesn't get picked," said local grower Lisa Tate to the news outlet back then.

Farmers say the notion that Medicaid recipients could quickly replace trained agricultural laborers ignores both practical and historical evidence. Manuel Cunha of the Nisei Farmers League recalled a failed 1990s effort to recruit welfare recipients into farm labor. "We lost crops. Fruit literally rotted on the ground," he said.

President Trump recently acknowledged farmers' concerns about labor disruptions and floated a plan that would allow undocumented workers to remain in the U.S. under employer sponsorship. "We're going to sort of put the farmers in charge," Trump said at the Iowa State Fairgrounds last week. "If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people... I think we're going to have to just say that's going to be good."

Critics warn the administration's inconsistent policies risk undermining food security. "These deportations and this cruelty... it's going to get to the point that we're all going to feel the pain," said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero to the LA Times.

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