Guestworker Migration Initiative

In the United States, the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers program, which provides short-term seasonal visas for people who fill agricultural jobs, has grown by 400 percent in the past decade, with more than 300,000 temporary workers arriving in the United States each year. Over 90 percent of H-2A workers in 2023 came from Mexico, and most came from low-income countries.

But little is known about the impact of the decades-old program. The Guestworker Migration Initiative was launched in 2022 to study the effects of guestworker programs on migrants, the places in which they work, and the communities from which they come. Its main contribution is a first-of-its-kind randomized controlled trial of the H-2A program, focusing on migrants between Mexico and the U.S.

The H-2A program is controversial, as are similar programs in other countries. Employers say they face too much bureaucratic red tape in hiring; advocacy groups allege workers are exploited; origin countries claim their communities are negatively impacted by the seasonal departures; and conservative groups argue citizens are being passed over for jobs.

What’s missing in discussions about these programs is evidence. In partnership with employers, migrants, and government agencies, the initiative is providing data on the impact of economic migration and how to improve economic outcomes in the U.S., origin countries such as Mexico, and for the migrants themselves, all while ensuring the welfare of workers. Ultimately, it will inform policy discussions about how to reduce poverty in low-income countries and the role of legal migration pathways to the United States and other higher-income countries.

The initiative, which has also been supported by the National Science Foundation and Stanford Impact Labs, is conducting policy-relevant research and building opportunities for Stanford undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars.

Team

• Beatriz Magaloni, principal investigator
• Melanie Morten, principal investigator
• Isabel Mejía Fontant, field research manager
• Benjamin Shenouda, research program manager
• Fátima Pacheco Hurtado, field research associate
• Sirig Gurung, predoctoral research fellow  
• Paula Londoño Suárez, predoctoral research fellow

Past Team Members

• Sebastián Cubillos, predoctoral fellow

Selected Work

News

What headlines don’t tell you about global migration, and what Stanford researchers can

Stanford University to study foreign agricultural worker program in WA

New Research Examines Benefits of Temporary Worker Visas for Seasonal Migrants to U.S.

Contact

For more information about the initiative, please contact King Center Executive Director Jessica Leino at jleino@stanford.edu.