Christmas tree farm workers face uncertainty as trump immigration policies threaten seasonal labor force

As the final Christmas trees of the season are loaded onto trucks at Wolf Creek Tree Farm and Nursery in the mountains of North Carolina, a deeper story unfolds about the migrant workers who make America’s holiday traditions possible. On cold December afternoons, crews of workers—many participating in the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program—harvest the evergreens that will grace living rooms across the country.

These legal temporary farm workers now face growing uncertainty about their future in the United States under renewed Trump administration policies. The H-2A visa program, which allows foreign workers to fill seasonal agricultural jobs legally, could face significant changes that worry both workers and farm owners. Proposed wage cuts and stricter immigration enforcement threaten to disrupt a labor system that Christmas tree farms have relied upon for years.

The situation highlights a critical environmental and economic intersection: sustainable agriculture depends heavily on seasonal migrant labor, yet anti-immigration policies could force these workers away from U.S. farms. Christmas tree farming, which requires year-round care including planting, pruning, and pest management, represents just one sector of agriculture that could face labor shortages.

For the workers warming themselves around barrel fires between shifts in North Carolina’s mountain tree farms, the policy changes represent more than political rhetoric—they could determine whether next year’s Christmas tree harvest happens at all. The uncertainty reflects broader tensions between agricultural needs, environmental stewardship, and immigration policy that affect food and forestry systems nationwide.