MAGA hardliner rages against immigration -- but floods his state with foreign workers [View all]

Source: Raw Story

April 12, 2026 9:41AM ET


Rep. Andy Harris presents a striking contradiction in American politics. On Capitol Hill, the Maryland Republican stands as one of President Donald Trump's most steadfast advocates for aggressive immigration enforcement. But on the shore of Maryland, Politico reported, he is celebrated as a champion for securing foreign labor that sustains the region's commercial seafood industry.

Chairing both the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and the agricultural appropriations subcommittee, Harris has wielded considerable influence to lobby the Trump administration for expanded temporary foreign worker programs. This year, he successfully convinced the White House to maximize H-2B visa allocations, securing approximately 65,000 positions — roughly 30,000 more than initially announced, according to the report.

The expansion directly benefits seafood producers in his district who depend on Mexican workers to hand-pick blue crab meat. "I've been in long enough to know how to get things done, and we got it done," Harris told crab company owner Jack Brooks during a recent facility visit, Politico reported.

Harris now plans to guarantee longtime H-2B employers receive positions regardless of annual lottery outcomes through proposed "certified employer" language in upcoming DHS funding legislation.Harris frames this apparent contradiction as consistent policy rather than hypocrisy, according to Politico.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/andy-harris-2676703480/