House GOP farm bill draws conservative amnesty fury

A House Republican proposal to address labor shortages on America's farms is coming under heavy fire from conservatives, who warn the measure would amount to amnesty for illegal aliens and conflict with President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.

The debate over the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act has exposed a split among Republicans, with immigration hawks arguing the bill would weaken Trump's mass deportation efforts while supporters say it is needed to protect the nation's food supply.

The legislation, introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, R-Pa., would allow certain farmworkers who entered the country illegally to obtain temporary legal status while expanding the H-2A agricultural guest worker program.

Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino blasted the measure in a post on X on Tuesday.

"These Republicans just stabbed Trump's deportation promise in the back with an amnesty farm bill," Bovino wrote. "They're only gonna get the message one way. Vote every single one of them out in a massive wave, and replace them with real immigration hawks."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also lambasted the proposal on social media, writing: "No amnesty! Amnesty is NOT what people voted for in 2024!"

Randy Westlund, the Republican mayor of Post Falls, Idaho, told Politico that the legislation runs counter to the mandate voters gave Trump.

"I think the agricultural lobby is very powerful, but it's a poor excuse to overturn what should be our nation's immigration policy," Westlund said. "It's a betrayal of the base of Republican voters who have no interest in amnesty whatsoever."

"We voted for Trump specifically to solve the immigration problem, to get mass deportations, that's what was promised," he added. "To see something going against that is going against the MAGA agenda."

Trump has not yet weighed in on the proposal.

"I don't know about it," the president told reporters Tuesday. "I'll take a look at it."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Republicans are still discussing the issue but confirmed the measure will not be part of the House GOP's broader border security package.

"We're talking with all our conference on what's best on immigration policy," Jordan said. "We're talking to all sides."

Thompson has pushed back against critics, insisting the bill does not provide amnesty.

"There's a saying that's been valid around here for over 100 years — that ignorance is bliss," Thompson said. "And what it is, is a few ignorant, and I assume illiterate, influencers that have somehow claimed that a temporary nonimmigrant visa is amnesty."

Supporters argue the bill would help farmers fill jobs that often go unfilled by American workers.

Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., a co-sponsor, told Politico the legislation would strengthen the nation's food supply after securing the border.

"Our farmers want to do things correctly, but they desperately need workers," Smucker said. "We want to ensure the food supply is solid, and so I think we need the workers, and we should ensure that we have workers available."

With conservative opposition mounting and Trump yet to endorse the proposal, the bill's prospects in the Republican-controlled House remain uncertain.