Just as the summer harvest season kicks into gear, a computer error at the U.S. State Department has left thousands of temporary agricultural workers stranded, costing farmers up to $1 million a day in California alone.
Since June 9, problems in the system that transmits fingerprints and other biometric security data from consulates have brought H-2A agricultural visa applications to a standstill. More than 1000 farm workers are waiting for approval, according to the Wall Street Journal. Farmers from California, Washington state and across the Midwest have reported crops are rotting in fields due to the labor shortfall.
Farm groups reported that hundreds of workers are waiting in Tijuana across the border from Mexico and Monterrey near Texas. Lost days of work can be devastating for seasonal farmhands, who often give up work in rural areas and travel long distances by bus to reach the border.
The U.S. issued 9.9 million visas to tourists and temporary workers last year.