A Louisiana staffing agency is getting dragged after posting a job ad offering an $11-per-hour, 7-day-a-week farm labor job in the summer sun. The ad, which has since been taken down, promised zero days off and shifts lasting up to 10 hours a day to pick blueberries. It quickly became viral fodder across Facebook, X, TikTok, Reddit, and Bluesky. Critics—particularly those from the left—pointed out the irony: This sort of labor is often vilified as "stolen" by undocumented immigrants, and is now being offered openly to those same American citizens who claimed to want those jobs back.
The ad, posted on April 16, promises a job picking fruit at the farm of one of AM PM's clients during some of the hottest months of the year, for 9 or 10 hours a day. It does pay better than minimum wage, however, at least in Louisiana, where workers earn as little as $7.25 per hour.
The staffing agency later removed the ad from their Facebook page, and as of April 24, their website is down.
"Wow, the red states must be overjoyed to have these jobs back," wrote Mariah McGuire, "that salary is so livable and that work/life balance? Chef's kiss."
"No one wants to work anymore," commented @Gritty20202 on X.
The ad soon went viral across multiple platforms. Users balked at the low wage, which would add up to $770 per week before taxes. Average rent in Louisiana is $1,235 per month according to the World Population Review, which would leave these farm pickers rent burdened even after working 70 hours per week.
"No days off? 10 hour shifts? AND an unlivable wage!?" wrote u/RedditAstroturfed, sarcastically. "Sign me up!"
"Doesn’t everyone want to work 77 hours a week for $847 with no overtime or days off?" joked Facebook user Pretty Ricky with slightly inaccurate math. "I’m sure they’ll get lots of takers."
Plenty more called for President Donald Trump's supporters to line up. Wasn't this supposed to be the point of all those tariffs, after all?
"Maga, it's your time to shine," wrote X user @ClaudetteGGibs1.
"Form an orderly queue, MAGAts," said @chadbourn.bsky.social.
On TikTok, user @armyvegan highlighted Facebook comments captured from the original AM PM post before they took it down.
"They better fire up that plane from El Salvador," wrote April Flugence, referring to a prison that has recently become associated with immigrant deportations under the Trump administration, sometimes against court orders.
Increasing anxiety among U.S. immigrant communities is putting stress on industries that rely on their labor. Many of these migrants are undocumented, but with the way ICE is behaving under Trump, all are at risk of deportation.
Last month, business groups dared to push back against the administration's anti-immigrant policies.
"Rumors of raids are having more impact at this point than raids themselves," vice president of public affairs and workforce for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Brian Turmail told Axios.
These fears led to a drop in job attendance not only among agricultural workers, but those building the housing we desperately need.
"The long-term impact will be where housing prices are already too high in places like Arizona," Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) pointed out. "When they can't get the workforce to build the houses, the prices are going to go up and rents are going to go up."
If these jobs were truly in high demand among U.S. citizens, we'd likely see more people lining up to take them. It doesn't seem like that's happening.
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