Rep. Harris pushes seasonal visas

Representative Andy Harris is pressing to expand seasonal work visas for employers in Maryland even as he backs President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. (politico.com) Politico reported on April 12 that Harris, a Maryland Republican and chair of the House Freedom Caucus, used his clout with the Trump administration this year to push for the maximum number of seasonal guest workers allowed for the season. (politico.com) The visa program at the center of the fight is H-2B, which covers temporary nonagricultural jobs such as seafood processing, landscaping and construction. Federal law sets a base cap of 66,000 H-2B visas each fiscal year, split into 33,000 for October through March and 33,000 for April through September. (uscis.gov) For fiscal year 2026, the Department of Homeland Security made up to 64,716 supplemental H-2B visas available on top of that 66,000 cap. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services said the second-half cap was reached as of March 10, 2026, for jobs starting between April 1 and September 30. (uscis.gov) Harris represents Maryland’s 1st District on the Eastern Shore, where seafood companies use H-2B workers to pick crab meat during the season. Politico reported that Harris told J.M. Clayton owner Jack Brooks, “we got it done,” after helping persuade the administration to release more visas. (politico.com) Harris has framed that push as separate from illegal immigration. In a March 26, 2025 statement, he said the H-2B program is “a workforce, not an immigration program,” and thanked Trump for supporting additional visas for seasonal employers. (harris.house.gov) On his House website, Harris says “securing our border is the first step to ending illegal immigration” and calls for more border enforcement, technology and physical barriers. The same page also warns about visa overstays by legal temporary visa holders. (harris.house.gov) Harris has also worked on longer-term changes. In June 2025, House appropriators adopted his amendment to let employers using H-2B visas bring in the same number of nonagricultural workers each year instead of relying on the annual cap and lottery, according to Politico Pro. (politico.com) Maryland Democrats have pushed similar visa expansions for the Eastern Shore seafood industry. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin said in November 2024 that the industry “can’t survive” without enough H-2B workers and backed a permanent fix for seafood processors. (vanhollen.senate.gov) The immediate question is whether Harris can turn seasonal carveouts into lasting policy. For now, he is arguing that tighter immigration enforcement in Washington can coexist with more legal guest workers in crab houses back home. (politico.com)