Some Florida farmers reduce crops as deportation fears drive workers away

['Jasmine Garsd', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-08-20 14:00:30

(Lexi Parra for NPR)The man looks out at the empty field, squinting: It’s midday and the Central Florida sun is intense. (Lexi Parra for NPR)In a typical year, about half his workforce is without legal status. But he says he can’t afford to hire more H2A visa workers — the costs have been going up for years. “It hasn’t been there for a long time.”Boatright says there needs to be an urgent fix to the H2A visa system. W. says he wants two things: lower fees for the H2A visa and a path to legalization for workers.