DHS Counters Trump on Ag Labor

By Jerry Hagstrom, DTN Political Correspondent, and Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor

WASHINGTON (DTN) -- Despite comments from President Donald Trump to back off immigration raids on farms, the Department of Homeland Security told Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders of its 30 field agencies on Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants, The Washington Post reported late Monday.

The reversal seems to reflect divisions within the Trump administration over whether to exempt industries with long-standing undocumented immigrant workforces from the immigration raids.

Last week, Trump acknowledged the ag and hospitality businesses had lost workers and said changes were coming. On Friday, the White House told ICE not to raid agricultural and hospitality businesses.

Farms were raided in California throughout last week while ICE also raided a small meat processor in Omaha, Nebraska, arresting at least 70 workers.

The New York Times credited Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins with convincing Trump to stop the immigration raids on agricultural businesses, but USDA in a statement said only that Rollins supported the White House position on immigration and deportations.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and the International Fresh Produce Association praised the White House for pulling back on the raids.

The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) also wrote Cabinet secretaries and the White House chief of staff over the weekend, highlighting the challenges farmers face in finding workers. "The Council and our members are encouraged by President Trump's recent comments recognizing the critical importance of the agricultural workforce. His comments are spot on," wrote Michael Marsh, president and CEO of NCAE.

Marsh noted farmers need a steady workforce to grow and harvest food.

"Particularly where labor-intensive agriculture is concerned, America's farmers and ranchers cannot complete the task to feed the nation and the world on their own -- they must have ready, willing, available and skilled labor," the letter stated.

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has called last week's immigration "disruptive" to the industry.

"To meet the ongoing demand for our nutritious products, the industry needs a stable, legal, and predictable workforce. We employ U.S. and foreign workers, but labor shortages and legislative uncertainty threaten the agricultural industry's ability (to) ensure fresh fruits and vegetables reach consumers," IFPA said.

"Enforcement actions targeting agricultural laborers are highly disruptive to farm operations and the produce supply chain consumers rely on. They are also the culmination of decades of inaction from policymakers and a broken labor system. These actions are exacerbating an already fragile labor situation, threatening the long-term viability of U.S. agriculture, and impacting the broader supply chain, from packers and wholesalers to retailers and transportation providers.

"IFPA appreciates President Trump's comments acknowledging the importance of protecting the agricultural workforce for food security of the American people. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the president on urgent steps to safeguard the food supply and call on Congress to deliver long-overdue, permanent reforms to the country's broken farmworker system," IFPA said.

The group United Farm Workers was more pessimistic about Trump's direction to pause raids at agricultural worksites. The group noted Border Patrol and ICE continued to sweep farm worker communities even after Trump's comments.

â??On Sunday, President Trump said on social media that ICE would focus on cities controlled by Democrats.

But on Monday, ICE shared instructions to continue the raids on a call to representatives from 30 field offices across the country, the Post said.

"There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE's efforts," Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for DHS, told the Post on Monday. "Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability."

Asked about whether ICE would continue to conduct raids in areas outside large Democratic cities, a White House official told the Post, "While we will expand efforts in sanctuary cities, President Trump remains committed to enforcing federal immigration law -- anyone present in the United States illegally is at risk of deportation."

AG WORKER WEBINAR

Oddly enough, the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division announced it will hold a seven-hour online seminar on June 25 to provide guidance on federal requirements governing agricultural employment for growers, farmers, shippers, farm labor contractors, buyers, and workers.

The webinar will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT, and will focus on federal laws and regulations governing agricultural employment and include discussions on:

-- The Fair Labor Standards Act;

-- H-2A temporary agricultural employment of foreign workers;

-- The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act;

-- The Labor Chapter of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Participating agencies will discuss the requirements for wages, housing, transportation, field sanitation, farm labor contractor certification, and the H-2A petition process.

Registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/….

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Editor's note: During the next few weeks, DTN will publish a series of stories focusing on ag labor challenges and solutions. Most of the stories first appeared in the Progressive Farmer Summer issue, "Labor Pains." Our online series will also include bonus content that didn't appear in the magazine. For links to those articles, see, https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Jerry Hagstrom can be reached at jhagstrom@nationaljournal.com

Follow him on social platform X @hagstromreport

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

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