Wisconsin Seeing Less Applications From Migrant Agricultural Workers for Seasonal Work

Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 -- 11:00 AM

(Trevor Hook, Wisconsin Public Radio) As the months-long federal immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities is set to wind down, Wisconsin is entering a season when thousands of migrant workers normally travel to the state for temporary work.

According to Trevor Hook with the Wisconsin Public Radio, an agency in Milwaukee says they are seeing fewer applications because of the crackdown.

According to data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, more than 6,000 seasonal migrant agricultural workers traveled to the state last year through the H-2A visa or similar programs.

But that number may drop this year, according to UMOS president José Martinez. UMOS is a Milwaukee-based social services nonprofit that offers a variety of services to migrant workers, including temporary and permanent housing, child care and food assistance.

Martinez told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that they haven’t seen the same number of workers return to Wisconsin so far this season. “Their biggest concern is: do they see themselves placing their family members in a set of circumstances where their citizenship will be questioned?” Martinez said.

“It makes it very difficult for individuals who have relied on this workforce, and is making it very difficult for them to find a workforce that is willing to come, not only to this state but other states.”

Migrant agricultural workers participate in a variety of sectors in Wisconsin, ranging from food processing to dairy work and processing produce like cherries or potatoes. Martinez said a drop in seasonal workers coming to Wisconsin runs the risk of broadly disrupting Wisconsin’s agricultural output.

“When you think about farmers in Wisconsin, they tend to be the smaller, family owned farmers … so something of this nature could certainly be very devastating,” Martinez said.

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