Boelts is one of the main figures in an agricultural sector that depends deeply on foreign labour, yet the Mexican labourers he hired to bring in his crop still had not received their working visas even as the produce stood ripe in the fields.
For Boelts, the system requires extensive preparation, noting that working with the federal government demands hiring a professional HR team and lawyers, dealing with four or five federal agencies, and waiting and planning nine months in advance for necessary workers.
Addressing the political debate surrounding immigration, Boelts maintains a clear distinction, stating that bringing in foreign workers on a temporary basis to meet specific needs has nothing to do with opening up the US southern border.
Instead, Boelts emphasizes that the priority must be securing the border while still ensuring there are legal pathways for the foreign workers that the US economy needs.
The agricultural challenges highlight a broader labor shortage, as Boelts concludes there simply are not enough willing US workers to meet the industry's daily needs.
"Those fields were the fields we probably could have made the most money off of during the spring season this year – we were super frustrated,"Boelts said regarding the delayed harvests."Our border regions can be safe places of legal commerce, and they don't have to be places where there's contraband and human smuggling going on,"Boelts said.