Trump’s Visa Policy: Farming is VIP, Tech Is Now Vintage

KEY POINTS

•Trump administration implemented $100,000 fees for H-1B visas hurting high-skilled immigrant sectors like tech and rural hospitals.
•Seasonal farm workers saw wage decreases of $1 to $3 hourly with streamlined visa processes, favoring agricultural employers.
•United Farm Workers sued the government claiming the policy exploits cheap foreign labor and harms American workers.

If you’re dreaming of Silicon Valley but stuck picking strawberries, the Trump administration has your back—in the literal fields. While $100,000 H-1B visa fees and new salary formulas send tech workers, researchers, and rural hospitals into panic mode, farmers enjoy wage drops of $1-$3 an hour and visa streamlining. Sam Peak of Economic Innovation Group remarked it’s the opposite of promises that Trump favored high-skilled immigrants. Meanwhile, rural hospitals fret over nurse shortages as immigration lawyer Chris Musillo spells it out: speed of care beats citizenship debates. Texas and Florida try to freeze H-1Bs at universities too. Only 85 out of 65,000 workers willingly paid the fee by Feb 15—statistically safer to farm than code. United Farm Workers union President Teresa Romero protests this 'America First' affront, accusing the administration of letting Big Ag exploit guest workers. Looks like America’s future is harvesting crops, not coding apps.