"But also, the guest workers program, it's quite often misused, meaning people could come in as part of a guest workers program and after two weeks in the fields, they'd run off to do every other kind of job that isn't covered by a guest workers program"
About this Quote
The specificity of "after two weeks in the fields" is the tell. It’s not an argument built on data so much as a narrative built for suspicion. Two weeks is just long enough to evoke the hardship of farm labor, just short enough to imply bad faith: they were never really here to do the job. That insinuation shifts attention away from the more structural reason people leave: guest worker systems often tie migrants to a single employer, restrict mobility, and keep wages low. If the "fields" are punishing and alternative jobs pay better, switching isn’t a caper; it’s rational.
Contextually, this line lives in the perennial U.S. debate over agricultural visas and immigration enforcement: a rhetorical move that treats labor as a controlled input rather than a workforce with agency. The subtext isn’t just that the program needs tighter compliance. It’s that mobility itself is the threat.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Rohrabacher, Dana. (2026, January 17). But also, the guest workers program, it's quite often misused, meaning people could come in as part of a guest workers program and after two weeks in the fields, they'd run off to do every other kind of job that isn't covered by a guest workers program. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-also-the-guest-workers-program-its-quite-47624/
Chicago Style
Rohrabacher, Dana. "But also, the guest workers program, it's quite often misused, meaning people could come in as part of a guest workers program and after two weeks in the fields, they'd run off to do every other kind of job that isn't covered by a guest workers program." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-also-the-guest-workers-program-its-quite-47624/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"But also, the guest workers program, it's quite often misused, meaning people could come in as part of a guest workers program and after two weeks in the fields, they'd run off to do every other kind of job that isn't covered by a guest workers program." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/but-also-the-guest-workers-program-its-quite-47624/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
