Migration that Works urges a NO vote on the FY 2027 DHS spending bill

Migration that Works – a coalition of unions, academics, anti-trafficking organizations, workers, and advocates – raises concerns over provisions in the FY 2027 DHS spending bill. In addition to providing increased funding to allow the Trump administration to continue its cruel —and even deadly— attacks on workers and communities across the United States, the bill would dramatically expand the flawed and abusive H-2B and H-2A temporary work visa programs.  

Specifically, sections 409-411 of the bill would:

• Expand the exploitative H-2B program by allowing a corporate-backed Certified Seasonal Employer exemption. This would exempt from the H-2B cap visas solicited by employers who have used the program within the last 5 years, and exempt up to the highest number of visas certified in that time period.
• Create industry-backed loopholes in the H-2B program for the outdoor amusement industry, moving those workers to a new P visa category. 
• Expand the H-2A program to include year-round employers from non-seasonal industries like dairy.

The systemic flaws in the temporary visa programs enable corporations and low-road employers to exploit H-2 workers, which drives down wages and worsens working conditions for H-2 and U.S.-based workers alike.

For the above reasons, Migration that Works urges a NO vote on the FY 2027 DHS spending bill.

Migration that Works seeks to advance an alternative model for labor migration, a value-based model for labor migration that prioritizes the human rights of workers and their families, elevating labor standards for all workers and ensuring equity and access to justice.