Trump Administration Immigration Enforcement Policy in Flux

The tension within the Trump Administration between forces competing to have the final word on

immigration policy was highly visible in the past week, leaving agricultural employers hoping for further clarity as to what to expect from federal law enforcement going forward.

Last week, farm employers seemed to have achieved a reprieve from Homeland Security raids that have arrested of dozens of agribusiness workers in recent weeks, including those at a dairy farm in New Mexico earlier this month. Last Thursday, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office sent a memo telling staff to put a “hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture including at restaurants and hotels.”

This directive was issued following the lobbying efforts of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, House Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson, R-PA, and others who understand the unyielding need that dairy farmers have for foreign-born workers.

However, by this past Monday night, reports became public that ICE officials were to continue conducting immigration raids at farms and agricultural businesses. In the past two days, White House border czar Tom Homan told reporters that ICE agents will continue to conduct worksite inspections of ag operations and other businesses, but that the primary enforcement focus would be on suspected criminals. Homan said ICE was not halting worksite enforcement at farms and hospitality facilities such as hotels and restaurants, but that agents are looking for those with criminal violations.

As this landscape continues to evolve, we will continue to work with the Trump Administration and Congress to help develop and communicate support for solutions that provide stability to dairy farmers by meeting their workforce needs, both current and future, while also supporting the deportation of those with a criminal history.