Nancy Churchill argues that broken immigration policy is putting Washingtons farms and national food security at risk as crops ripen and labor shortages worsen.
Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric
While politicians in Olympia and D.C. play games with immigration policy, the real crisis is already in full swing in eastern Washington. Cherries will be ripe soon, and there may not be enough hands to harvest them. This isnt theoretical. Farming is physical, seasonal, and brutally unforgiving. When a crop is ready, it wont wait for Washingtons red tape to catch up. If labor doesnt show up, the fruit rots simple as that. Thats not just money lost. Its a hit to food security for every American family. So lets ask the only question that really matters: Are we getting food on the table, or not?
Nancy Churchill
Heres the truth: Washingtons agricultural economy depends on legal foreign labor, brought in through programs like H-2A. These arent unskilled jobs. Fruit picking is demanding, precision work that takes training, speed, and endurance. Contrary to popular myth, not just anyone can pick fruit effectively. Its physically taxing, time-sensitive labor that takes training and experience.
The sad reality is that weve spent more than half a century discouraging our own young people from pursuing agricultural work. We told the kids farming had no future. We sent them to college and encouraged desk jobs. Now, with nearly three generations removed from the land, were shocked to find that few Americans are willing or able to return to the fields.
This isnt an argument for permanent reliance on foreign workers. Its a call for realism. We need to rebuild a domestic farm labor force. But that takes time years of investment in education, vocational training, and a serious cultural shift. You dont fix that overnight by pulling the plug and pretending a solution will sprout up in the meantime. What farmers need is a strategic transition not a blind leap.
Heres where nuance gets lost. Yes, illegal immigration must be stoppedperiod. We need full enforcement, aggressive deportations, and border control. President Trump and Secretary Brooke Rollins are right: Law and order comes first. But shutting down illegal immigration doesnt mean killing the few legal pathways that keep our farms running. Both things can be true. Both must be done.
And right now, the H-2A visa system is a broken mess. Its been flooded with applications because desperate growers have no better options. The Biden administration made it worse expanding the program while ignoring its flaws. Even Democrats admit its failing. Thats why Rep. Dan Newhouses Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA) is back. It offers a new Certified Agricultural Worker status for those already here legally and aims to fix the H-2A process. Its not perfect, but it beats the chaos weve got now.
Still, policy Band-Aids arent enough. Without border enforcement and deportation of criminal aliens, guest worker reforms become just another magnet for abuse. Thats why Trumps dual-track approach secure the border, and modernize legal labor is the only path that actually protects American food security interests.
Meanwhile, theres a much-needed boost coming from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). This isnt about visas its about survival. The OBBB cuts farm taxes by over $10 billion. It protects family farms from the death tax. It updates risk tools and doubles Section 179 deductions so farmers can buy equipment, hire workers, and stay in the game. For the 98% of farms taxed like small businesses, this is do-or-die.
Critics mock these tax cuts like theyre some kind of luxury item. But they miss the point entirely. You cant rebuild the American farm workforce if farms cant afford to exist. Profit is what pays wages. Profit is what lets farmers train new hires. If we want our own citizens back in the fields, we need farms to survive long enough to hire them.
Lets be honest: urban elites dont know where their food comes from. They think grocery shelves fill themselves. But in Eastern Washington, we live the reality. We grow it. We pick it. We pack it. And if we dont get the support we need, this whole system breaks down.
The OBBB is a lifeline one that gives Eastern Washington farmers breathing room to fix the deeper problems. To stabilize the labor market. To bring American workers back into agriculture. And to do it without sacrificing food security in the process.
We need immigration enforcement. We need a labor transition. And we need the political will to do both at the same time. This isnt about being nice. Its about being smart. Its about survival.
Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the chair of the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on S ubstack, X, thinkspot and occasionally Rumble .
