Following the midterm elections, Republicans face mounting pressure to advance what is being characterized as amnesty for illegal immigrant agricultural workers during the remaining time they control the House.
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they → follow → House
Having campaigned heavily on cracking down on illegal immigration in 2024, GOP lawmakers now face renewed scrutiny over whether they will follow through on those promises before potentially losing their House majority — or if they will cave to special interests and pass an immigration reform plan that includes some form of amnesty.
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that → campaign → amnesty
(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: White House Scrambles After Trump Again Floats Amnesty Deal With Democrats)
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Trump → scramble → Democrats
A bipartisan immigration proposal still simmering on Capitol Hill is once again drawing attention after recent remarks from President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who have signaled willingness to work with Democrats on immigration reform.
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who → simmer → reform
The word “amnesty” was never even said in this entire exchange.
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amnesty → say → exchange
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2026
The legislation, sponsored by Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn (GT) Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is known as the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 (SAWA).
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legislation → sponsor → 2026
The bill would in effect grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who work in the agricultural sector.
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who → grant → sector
Introduced by Thompson in June 2025, the legislation remains pending in the House Judiciary Committee, where it awaits further action from Chairman Jim Jordan, the next Republican House minority leader.
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it → introduce → Jordan
AmericanHort, a national horticulture industry association, confirmed to the Caller that it sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee urging Jordan to work with Thompson to advance SAWA.
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it → confirm → SAWA
The organization, which represents the plant and horticultural industry, has also published the letter on its website, calling on lawmakers to address H-2A wage and program issues following a recent California ruling affecting the Department of Labor’s October 2025 interim final rule.
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which → represent → rule
Thompson’s bill also seeks to address agricultural labor shortages by allowing eligible illegal immigrant farmworkers to obtain special immigration status and legally remain in the U.S. while continuing to work in qualifying agricultural jobs.
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farmworkers → seek → jobs
Specifically, the legislation would extend eligibility to illegal immigrants who performed at least six months of qualifying agricultural work within the previous two years.
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who → extend → years
It would also waive certain grounds of inadmissibility, creating a pathway for eligible workers to obtain H-2A visa status and legally remain in the country while continuing to work in the agricultural industry.
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workers → waive → industry
Jeremy Beck, co-president of NumbersUSA, and Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, both told the Daily Caller that the proposal amounts to amnesty for illegal immigrants, arguing that it would grant legal status to individuals based on their prior agricultural employment.
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it → tell → employment
Notably, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) defines amnesty as the “granting of legal status to any individual who is in the country illegally.”
Rep. Thompson also expressed optimism about the legislation’s prospects during a panel hosted by the American Dairy Coalition at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, on Oct. 30, saying he hoped Congress would address both SAWA and the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 during the lame-duck session.
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Congress → define → session
During the discussion, Thompson highlighted the agricultural industry’s alleged longstanding labor challenges, particularly the lack of a year-round visa program for dairy farms.
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Thompson → highlight → farms
(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump ‘Will Never Allow For Mass Amnesty’ After Floating Working With Dems On Immigration)
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Trump → allow → Immigration
However, when asked by the Caller about the possibility of Republicans advancing Thompson’s legislation during the lame-duck session, Beck warned that doing so could further take the wind out of Republican voters’ already frayed sails.
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doing → ask → sails
“Pushing something like this in the lame duck would send a terrible message to an already demoralized electorate,” Beck told Caller, arguing that Republicans won control of Congress by campaigning on prioritizing American workers over illegal immigration.
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Republicans → push → immigration
Beck added that the midterm elections offered no indication that voters had abandoned that message, but rather that immigration had taken a back seat to other issues, ranking a “distant third” among the issues influencing the results.
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immigration → add → results
At its core, Thompson’s legislation seeks to address employers’ labor needs by providing a legal workforce for temporary agricultural jobs through the H-2A program.
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legislation → seek → program
The program allows U.S. employers or authorized agents to bring foreign nationals into the country for temporary agricultural work, subject to specific regulatory requirements, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website.
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employers → allow → website
The proposal would cap annual increases to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), the minimum wage employers must pay certain H-2A workers, at 3.25 percent.
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employers → cap → percent
The cap could constrain wage growth for both foreign and domestic agricultural workers covered by the rate.
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cap → constrain → rate
This cap, opponents argue, acts as a means to suppress agricultural worker wages.
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opponents → argue → wages
Notably, labor market data shows prevailing farm wages have risen faster than the proposed threshold.
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wages → show → threshold
When the Caller asked Krikorian about the legislation’s potential long-term effects, he forewarned that its passage could preserve outdated agricultural practices instead of incentivizing the industry to modernize and reduce its reliance on foreign labor.
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passage → ask → labor
“Why in the 21st century are we having people kneel in the dirt and pull plants out with their hands?
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people → have → hands
This is medieval,” Krikorian told the Caller.
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Krikorian → tell → Caller
Furthermore, Krikorian argues that illegal immigration, guest worker programs and legislation like SAWA “preserve the feudalistic nature of much of American agriculture” by allowing the industry to rely on foreign labor rather than encouraging technological advancements that could reduce the need for imported workers.
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that → argue → workers
The proposal comes amid a broader history of Republican lawmakers pursuing immigration deals with Democrats, including the bipartisan border and immigration reform package negotiated in early 2024 by Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, who is now seeking to become the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC).
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who → come → Committee
When asked by the Caller about Lankford seeking the ranking member position on the committee, Republican strategist Ryan Girdusky wrote, “Lankford sucks on immigration.”
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Lankford → ask → immigration
Lankford was the front man for the disastrous amnesty bill the GOP establishment tried to get us to swallow a few years ago.
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us → try → bill
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) November 11, 2026
Lankford is not the only Republican to have pursued immigration compromises with Democrats.
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Lankford → pursue → Democrats
Former Florida Sen. and current Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, and former President George W. Bush have also supported efforts to reach bipartisan immigration deals.
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Rubio → support → deals
The issue resurfaced Tuesday when Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle host Laura Ingraham challenged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over his openness to working with Democrats.
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host → resurface → Democrats
(RELATED: ‘Why Did You Float DACA?’: Mullin Put On The Spot Over Immigration Deal)
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Mullin → float → Deal
Ingraham put Mullin on the spot, arguing that Republicans repeatedly turn to immigration compromises when facing political difficulties, despite what she described as Democrats’ lack of interest in lowering immigration levels or enforcing existing laws.
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she → put → laws
Laura Ingraham DESTROYS Markwayne Miullin LIVE ON FOX for pushing for "LEGAL STATUS" for DACA illegals LAURA:
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Ingraham → destroy → illegals
"Why would ANY idea be floated to work with the Democrats on an issue that is their HOLY GRAIL?!"
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that → float → issue
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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