Victor Martino
7 min read
The Trump administration’s ongoing immigration policy enforcement underlines an inconvenient truth about the US agri-food industry – without undocumented immigrants, the system would not function, at least not in its current form.
Earlier this month, the US federal government briefly issued guidance to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), pausing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on farms, hotels, restaurants and food processing facilities, citing concerns about labour shortages. President Trump personally acknowledged in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that his “very aggressive” policies were ripping long-time workers from jobs that are “almost impossible to replace.”
The major policy reversal followed pleas from agri-food industry leaders to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and directly to Trump himself, asking them to ease the ICE raids on these workplaces because it would lead to staff shortages due to the industry’s reliance on immigrant labour.
But, just days later, DHS reversed course, with Trump’s approval, reinstating what it calls “full-scale, quota-driven immigration enforcement with no safe spaces for industries.” In other words, ICE workplace raids on farms, food processing facilities, restaurants and hotels are back on – at least for now. The agency says it must meet a daily target of 3,000 arrests, even if it means resuming enforcement in critical industries like agri-food.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who both want no exemptions or “safe spaces” when it comes to the immigration enforcement, are believed to have played the key roles in changing the brief exemption Trump gave to agriculture and hospitality, winning out over Rollins, who was reflecting the wishes of agri-food industry leaders – and the reality that the industry in its current form is fuelled by the labour of undocumented immigrants.
Stakeholders across the agri‑food sector, from individual farmers and agriculture trade associations, to major food company CEOs, were startled over the administration’s flip-flop, resulting in the resumption of ICE workplace raids on farms and food processing facilities. They say the resumed raids and deportation of those arrested are triggering labour shortages, absenteeism among fearful staff and operational instability.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), which represents family farmers and ranchers across the US, is expressing strong concern over the resumption of the ICE raids, saying they disrupt the workforce and could negatively impact the US food supply.
