To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for terms and conditions for nonimmigrant workers performing agricultural labor or services, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Affordable and Secure Food Act of 2024 creates a new legal pathway for undocumented agricultural workers already in the United States, allowing them to obtain Certified Agricultural Worker status if they can prove prior farm work. It also reforms the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program to make it more efficient and establishes mandatory electronic employment verification (E-Verify) for the agricultural industry.
Who Benefits and How
Farmworkers currently in the U.S. without legal status benefit by gaining a path to legal work authorization and eventually permanent residency. Agricultural employers (farms, ranches, food processors) benefit from a more stable, legal workforce and streamlined H-2A hiring through a single electronic platform. Rural housing developers receive expanded loan authority (up to $20M for new construction, $5M minimum per project) and longer rental assistance contracts (up to 20 years).
Who Bears the Burden and How
Agricultural employers face new mandatory E-Verify requirements with penalties up to $25,000 per violation for repeat offenses. Foreign labor recruiters must register with the Department of Labor and comply with anti-fraud rules or face fines up to $25,000 and debarment. Taxpayers fund the implementation through authorized appropriations (unspecified amounts for Title I, $50M for rural housing technology improvements, $75M annually for farm housing loans).
Key Provisions
- Creates 5.5-year renewable Certified Agricultural Worker status for farmworkers who worked 1,035+ hours in the 2 years before enactment
- Allows adjustment to permanent resident status after 10 years of agricultural work
- Increases employment-based green card cap from 140,000 to 200,000 annually
- Establishes single electronic H-2A platform for employers and 6-year portable visa pilot program
- Mandates E-Verify for all agricultural employers with escalating penalties for violations
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates a pathway to legal status for undocumented agricultural workers, reforms the H-2A visa program, establishes mandatory electronic employment verification, and preserves rural farmworker housing.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, Agriculture, Labor, Housing
Primary Purpose
Creates a pathway to legal status for undocumented agricultural workers, reforms the H-2A visa program, establishes mandatory electronic employment verification, and preserves rural farmworker housing.
Policy Domains
Title I - Certified Agricultural Worker Status
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Undocumented agricultural workers
- Agricultural employers
- Food production industry
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Applicants (fees and documentation requirements)
- Employers (record-keeping requirements)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - H-2A Program Reforms
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Agricultural employers
- H-2A workers
- Seasonal agricultural operations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of Labor
- Department of Homeland Security
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title III, Subtitle A - Rural Housing Preservation
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Farmworkers needing housing
- Rural housing developers
- Owners of existing rural housing projects
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers (appropriations)
- USDA (administrative burden)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title III, Subtitle C - Employment Verification
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Compliant agricultural employers
- Legal workers
- Social Security Administration (funding)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Agricultural employers (compliance costs)
- Small farms (technology requirements)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title III, Subtitle B - Foreign Labor Recruiter Registration
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- H-2A workers (protection from fraud)
- Legitimate labor recruiters
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Foreign labor recruiters (registration requirements)
- Department of Labor (enforcement)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Bennet (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Fetterman, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
DHS, DHS and DOJ, DHS and USDA
DHS/USCIS, Social Security Administration, USDA Rural Development face effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: DHS implementation, DOL and State Department, Federal government
Negative-direction: DHS, DHS and DOJ, DHS and USDA, DHS/DOL/State Department, DHS/USDA/State, DOL, DOL and USDA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, FBI and security agencies, ICE enforcement, Immigration courts, Rural housing program, USCIS, USDA
All employers, Current E-Verify users, Displaced rural housing tenants
Positive-direction: Displaced rural housing tenants, Employers, Employers verifying documents, Employment-based green card applicants, Low-income rural tenants, Rural housing tenants, US employers sponsoring workers, Workers with work authorization
Negative-direction: All employers, Document forgers and fraudsters, Document forgers/suppliers, Employers using E-Verify
Agricultural employers, Agricultural employers in pilot, Agricultural employers of applicants
Agricultural employers faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Agricultural employers in pilot, Agricultural employers of applicants, Agricultural employers providing records, Agricultural employers using H-2A
Negative-direction: Agricultural employers seeking H-2A workers, H-2A employers
Adjustment of status applicants, Applicants for certified status, Applicants who commit fraud
Certified status applicants faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Adjustment of status applicants, Potential applicants, Prima facie eligible applicants
Negative-direction: Applicants for certified status, Applicants who commit fraud
Migrant housing project owners, Rural housing project owners, Rural housing property owners
Foreign labor recruiters, Non-compliant foreign labor recruiters
Farm worker housing developers, Large-scale rural housing developers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
- "secretary_of_labor"
- → Secretary of Labor
- "secretary_of_agriculture"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
Note: The Secretary refers to Secretary of Homeland Security in Title I and Title III Subtitle C, Secretary of Agriculture in Title III Subtitle A housing provisions, and Secretary of Labor in Title III Subtitle B recruiter provisions
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Any person who performs foreign labor recruiting activity in exchange for money or other valuable consideration to recruit H-2A workers, including those operating wholly outside the United States
Status granted under section 101 to aliens who performed agricultural labor for at least 1,035 hours in the 2 years preceding enactment
Agricultural labor or services as used in INA section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii), including agricultural employment as defined in section 3(f) of the Fair Labor Standards Act
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology