The weekend of mixed messages from the Trump administration on the future of immigration crackdowns has left hoteliers, farmers and restaurateurs asking: Are we getting protections or not?
Industry lobbyists and advocates are in the dark on details, with the White House keeping its plans close to the chest as President Donald Trump focuses his deportation efforts on sanctuary cities.
The president acknowledged last Thursday that his immigration policies were “taking very good, longtime workers away” from farms, hotels and other leisure businesses. The administration then reportedly paused raids in the agriculture and hospitality industries, The New York Times first reported Friday evening.
In Santa Clara County the gross value of agricultural production for 2023 was more than $371 million — an increase of 3.5% from 2022 which was nearly $359 million, according to the 2023 Santa Clara County Crop Report. A report in 2021 stated there are about 8,000 agricultural workers in the county.
But industries have not seen a formal plan from the president, who took to Truth Social on Sunday to urge U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities.”
A White House official declined to confirm the pause, telling NOTUS that “anyone present in the United States illegally is at risk of deportation.”
“Just like President Trump promised, we will deliver the single largest Mass Deportation Program in history by expanding our efforts in the epicenters of illegal immigration — dangerous, Democrat run sanctuary cities,” the White House told NOTUS.
An administration official told NOTUS that, “worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of efforts to enforce federal immigration law. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine workers, destabilize labor market, and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation. As always, the Administration will continue to ensure large-scale worksite actions are properly coordinated through leadership to maintain mission alignment.”
The tumult has left agriculture and hospitality industries, which have been engaging the administration on the challenges deportations are posing for their workforce, in limbo.
Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, sent a letter Saturday to members of Trump’s cabinet and chief of staff praising the president’s post — and emphasizing the need to keep good workers.
“I’m hopeful that we’re going to bring some of the temperature down on some of the farms for some of those workers that have really been frightened by what’s transpiring,” Marsh told NOTUS.
It’s difficult to pin down the true number of people without legal authorization working on farms or in hotels and restaurants, but there are some estimates. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 42% of hired crop farm workers lack work authorization. Roughly 1.1 million people in the hospitality industry were undocumented in 2023, according to a recent analysis by the American Immigration Council.
Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, said in a statement to NOTUS that the hotel industry “directly employs 2.1 million workers across the U.S.” and “members comply with labor laws and immigration requirements, including those focused on recruitment and employment verifications.”
She also said the association has “held numerous meetings with administration officials to convey our acute workforce shortage challenges and underscore the importance of a strong hospitality and tourism sector” since Trump took office.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary, said in a statement that the agency “will follow the President’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets.”
“Let’s get some definition, let’s get the details,” said Marsh.
“We really need to know with those comments how this might work and what the president has in mind and how we might be able to remove some of this fear that our workers are feeling, so that they can continue to work and be productive on the farm, and also assuage the concerns of the employers, who’ve got to be terrified that some of their workforce may be gone the next day.”
Taylor Giorno is a reporter at NOTUS.This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and San José Spotlight.
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