A recent CIS review of State Department visa issuance data shows that while interviews in Mexico for a wide variety of visas have almost been wiped out by the virus crisis, that is distinctly not the case for H-2A seasonal workers that Big Agriculture wants. Unskilled workers in non-ag fields, in the H-2B class, seem to be treated in the same generous way.
The level of issuances in this April was about 90 percent of the H-2A and H-2B volumes of April 2019. Meanwhile, the less favored J-1 category received 0.13 percent of last year's April issuances.
Big Education and even the high-tech companies simply do not have the clout that Big Ag has. The H-2 visas were being issued as tens of millions of U.S. workers became unemployed.
Nonimmigrant Visas Issued in Selected
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| Visa Category | Visa | April 2019 | April 2020 |
| Farm Workers | H-2A | 32,155 | 30,157 |
| Non-Farm Unskilled Workers | H-2B | 10,549 | 9,252 |
| Exchange Visitors | J-1 | 2,232 | 3 |
| Students | F-1 | 177 | 1 |
| College Grad Workers | H-1B | 167 | 2 |
| Treaty Traders | E-1 | 33 | 7 |
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Source: U.S. Department of State, Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics. |
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Most of the H-2A visas in Mexico are issued at our consulate in Monterrey, which is about 125 miles south of the Texas border. Mexico is home to a large percentage of H-2 workers.
The writer is grateful to CIS intern Jackson Koonce for his research assistance.