Tomás Reyes
Reports from the fields, packing sheds, and labor camps where America's food gets made. Fluent in Spanish; deeply fluent in the power imbalances that keep farmworkers invisible.
Recent reporting
New Bill Demands Fair Wages and Safety for Farmworkers
Senators Welch, Booker, Wyden, and Warren introduce the Agricultural Worker Justice Act (S. 4995), legislation tying USDA funding to labor compliance and worker pay. The UFCW endorses the bill on July 21.
H-2A Wage Cuts Hit Farmworkers as Court Ruling Stands
On July 1, a new federal wage rule cut H-2A farmworker pay by up to 32%. A federal court upheld the cuts, and estimates show workers will lose $4.4 billion annually.
OSHA Scales Back Farmworker Heat Enforcement
OSHA removed inspection targets from its heat program in April, eliminating enforcement tools as farmworkers face peak summer conditions and record heat-related workplace deaths.
House Blocks H-2A Expansion as Farm Labor Crisis Deepens
A congressional panel refused to advance a bill that would expand access to temporary farmworker visas, leaving farms with few options as labor shortages grow.
States Lead Heat Protection for Farmworkers While Federal Rule Stalls
Eight states now have occupational heat standards. Federal regulators have proposed protections, but the rule's future remains unclear as farmworkers face deadly summer conditions.
House Judiciary Committee Blocks H-2A Expansion Push
Just three days after Thompson's bipartisan bill on farm labor, chair Jim Jordan bars the immigration committee from taking it up—killing momentum on farmworker visa reform.
New H-2A Wage Rules Cost Farmworkers $3B Annually
DOL's new wage-setting methodology, live since July 1, slashes farmworker pay by up to $5 per hour and triggers a legal battle over wage theft.
H-2A Expansion Threatens Farmworker Pay and Protections
Thompson's labor bill would dramatically expand foreign worker visas for year-round farm work, drawing praise from growers and alarm from farmworker advocates over wages and abuse risks.
12 States Stand With Farmworkers Against DOL Wage Cuts
California AG leads multistate coalition backing UFW legal challenge to Trump administration's effort to slash H-2A and domestic farmworker pay by up to $2.46 billion annually.
Labor Unions Challenge USDA Reorganization Plan
Labor unions, nonprofits, and local governments filed a court challenge to a proposed USDA reorganization, raising stakes for farmworker protections.
The robot farmer question: as automation cuts labor costs
Autonomous agriculture is becoming economically viable faster than expected—and farmworkers may be first to feel the shift.
Robots to the Rescue? How Automation Is Replacing Farm Labor
Falling sensor costs and labor shortages are making autonomous machines economically viable for large operations—but farmworkers will pay the price.
Thompson's H-2A Overhaul Would Slash Worker Wages, Boost Farm Profit
The Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act would let migrant workers stay year-round while cutting their pay. Farm-worker groups already oppose it.
Puerto Rico's Fishers Face Climate Crisis Alone
As warming seas disrupt fishing, Puerto Rico's coastal communities are adapting without federal support—leaving working fishers to shoulder climate costs alone.
H-2A Certifications Hit Record High as Labor Crisis Deepens
Guest worker program expands 17% in first half of 2026 as dairy and crop farms face ongoing labor shortage despite wage cuts and policy shifts.
USCIS Opens H-2A Door for Dairy Farms
Federal guidance clarifies that dairy operations may hire temporary H-2A workers, offering labor relief for an industry facing chronic staffing shortages.
Wage Floor Collapse: DOL Cuts H-2A Minimum to Poverty Levels
New federal wage rules slash the H-2A farmworker minimum by as much as 15%, costing migrant workers $4+ billion annually as growers lock in lower labor costs.
H-2A Workers Dig Deeper Into Poverty as Wages Stall
Migrant farm workers on H-2A visas are seeing wages stay flat while input costs climb, forcing families into debt. New data exposes how the program shields growers from market pressure.
H-2A Opens to Dairy. Advocates Say the Program Runs on Coercion.
The Trump administration opened the H-2A guestworker program to dairy farms. Farmworker advocates say it expands a system with documented trafficking, wage theft, and forced labor.
NY Dairy Workers Fight for Overtime Rights Decades Overdue
New York extended labor rights to farmworkers in 2019. Dairy workers still get fewer overtime protections than everyone else, and a new organizing push aims to close the gap.
Trump Cut H-2A Wages. Courts Backed It. Dairy Workers Are Organizing.
The Trump administration cut H-2A agricultural wages by up to $5 an hour. Courts upheld the cuts. New York's dairy workers are now pushing for state-level labor protections.
H-2A Grew 185% in a Decade. Enforcement Didn't Keep Up.
H-2A certifications rose 17% in the first half of FY2026. A GAO review found 84% of federal investigations uncovered fraud, trafficking, or abuse. The math doesn't work for workers.
The Hands That Feed Us Are Working in Deadly Heat — and the Rules Barely Protect Them
H-2A guestworkers pick America's food under brutal heat with weak federal safeguards. As a national heat rule stalls, farmworker advocates say lives are on the line.
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