JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — The race for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District is packed with 14 Republicans and one Democrat vying for that seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Two key issues for the candidates and voters in the district are immigration and agriculture.
The top candidates in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District all believe immigration and border security are priorities. At the same time, they want to advocate for farmers and the agriculture industry. At the crossroads of those two issues lies the H-2A visa program, which employs seasonal foreign workers.
After the latest round of redictricting, North Carolina's 13th District is a Republican-heavy district or rural and suburban areas that curve around Raleigh and Durham. It includes Lee, Harnett, Johnston, Franklin, Granville, Person and Caswell counties, and some of Wake County.
Kim LeQuire takes immense pride in her family’s fourth generation Johnston County farm, one of the state’s fastest growing counties.
“There are still so many crops that need to be harvested by hand. Sweet potatoes being a huge one in North Carolina,” LeQuire, the manager of Kornegay Family Farms & Produce, said.
LeQuire says she’s also proud of the workforce they employ.
“Seasonally we will have guest workers from Mexico under the H2A program, and they will be anywhere from 80 to 100 people,” LeQuire said.
For about a decade, Kornegay Family Farms & Produce has participated in the H-2A visa program while also advertising those jobs locally.
“I think I’ve had maybe a total of five people, Americans, call to inquire about the work and when I start describing the work to them, they're like, ‘That's not for me. Thanks.’ Click,” LeQuire said.
She says the seasonal workers she employs, most of whom come from Mexico, are hardworking and deserve a fair wage. LeQuire says the federal program’s pay requirement continues to increase.
“This year it went from $14.90 to $15.81. So my payroll on January 1st went up about $150,000,” LeQuire said.
LeQuire believes politicians often try to tie immigration reform in with the visa program, a talking point that she thinks is unnecessary.
“I hear a lot of that that we can't get this reform on H-2A until we get immigration reform. But they’re really two separate things,” LeQuire said. “My guys that come to work for me on the H-2A visa, they do not want to move to America. They want to be home where they grew up in with their family that they were born into and then their family that they married into. I mean, they don't want to move here.”
That’s why LeQuire wants to see candidates talk about how they’ll navigate agricultural labor needs while also valuing the way visa workers help ensure food security.
“We don't know really what's going on with our food when it comes from other places. And I think that that's something that really needs to be addressed by our legislators and the powers that be to come up with something that's reasonable and that can work for everyone,” LeQuire said. “I don't want it to be all about us. I don't want to be all about the worker. I want it to be all about what can we work together? And it's going to be better for consumers. I mean, everyone can. There's a way for everyone to win. We've just got to figure it out.”
Spectrum News 1 asked the top candidates in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District about the H-2A visa program and here’s what they had to say:
Republican candidate Brad Knott said, “That program is basically rendered useless because there are wage requirements for that visa program…To utilize that program effectively, we must tighten up on illegal immigration and make sure that only legal immigrants are the ones being employed in that program. And secondly, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that farm work is good work, and the visa program should only be utilized if American citizens are not able to do that work first.”
Republican candidate Kelly Daughtry said, “In Congress I will fight for farmers while at the same time ensuring people come to America legally, the right way. President Trump and I will roll back Joe Biden’s increase in H2A Visa Program fees that hurt farmers. Right now, President Biden is punishing hard working farmers and families who follow the law.”
Republican candidate DeVan Barbour said, “The border crisis and H2A program are two completely different items. We MUST secure our border, end ‘Catch & Release’, reinstitute the Remain in Mexico policy, and attack the rampant asylum fraud that is allowing people from all over the world to sneak into our country every day.”