How The Farm Industry Is Complicating Trump's Immigration Crackdown

Summary

Summary of "How The Farm Industry Is Complicating Trump's Immigration Crackdown"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The NPR Politics Podcast
• Host/Author: NPR
• Episode: How The Farm Industry Is Complicating Trump's Immigration Crackdown
• Release Date: June 17, 2025

On June 17, 2025, NPR's Political reporters delved into the intricate dynamics between President Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown and the agricultural industry's reliance on undocumented labor. This episode, titled "How The Farm Industry Is Complicating Trump's Immigration Crackdown," offers an in-depth analysis of the conflicting policies and their broader implications on the U.S. economy and food supply chain.

---

Contradictory Policies: Trump's Promises vs. Administration Actions

The episode opens with Miles Parks and Ximena Bustillo discussing the recent oscillation in the Trump administration's stance on immigration within the agricultural sector.

• Ximena Bustillo (03:00): "As recently as last week, President Trump took to social media and even spoke with reporters at the White House saying that he wanted to provide some sort of solution for specifically the agriculture sector."

Despite these assurances, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Significant enforcement actions have targeted the agriculture industry, undermining the President's promises of protection.

• Ximena Bustillo (03:10): "We saw 70 people get arrested at a meatpacking plant in Nebraska... Despite Trump's comments last week, there has been no change in policy and that workplace raids would continue." (Timestamp: 02:50)

Agricultural Workforce Dependence on Undocumented Labor

The conversation highlights the critical dependence of the agricultural sector on undocumented workers, making substantial immigration enforcement a double-edged sword.

• Ximena Bustillo (03:20): "About 40% of seasonal workers in specialty crops are without legal status... In dairies, the proportion is even higher because these employers do not qualify for certain visas." (Timestamp: 03:19)

This dependence is not limited to farms alone. Industries such as home healthcare, hospitality, and construction also face similar vulnerabilities.

Economic Implications: Supply Chain Disruptions and Rising Costs

The episode underscores the potential economic fallout if the agricultural workforce continues to dwindle due to stringent immigration policies.

• Lauren Schmies (05:05): "If this workforce were to disappear, we're already seeing a sharp drop in the foreign-born workforce in the United States. Immigrant labor has kept the US Economy growing at a time when our native-born workforce is aging and shrinking." (Timestamp: 05:05)

The reduction in available labor leads to increased operational costs for farmers, which inevitably trickles down to consumers through higher grocery prices. This situation directly contradicts Trump's campaign promises to lower these costs.

Internal Conflict Within the Administration

A significant point of discussion revolves around the discord between President Trump and other members of his administration regarding immigration enforcement.

• Ximena Bustillo (07:08): "DHS Secretary Christy Noem has been on record saying there is no sector that is a safe place. Border czar Tom Homan has stated they will increase worksite enforcement instead." (Timestamp: 07:08)

This internal conflict results in mixed signals to the agricultural industry, with the President advocating for protection while key administration figures push for continued enforcement.

Possible Solutions: Visa Reforms and Employer Adaptations

The panel explores potential solutions to reconcile the need for labor in agriculture with the administration's immigration policies.

• Ximena Bustillo (09:54): "Farmers are lobbying for access to visas and a visa program that provides a compromise between a pathway to citizenship for workers and affordability for farmers." (Timestamp: 09:54)

However, the current visa structure is deemed prohibitively expensive for farmers, making reforms a complex but necessary endeavor to sustain the agricultural workforce.

Historical Context and Political Sensibility

Lauren Schmies provides historical context by referencing the first Trump administration's handling of immigration, specifically the backlash against family separations, which eventually led to policy reversals under public pressure.

• Lauren Schmies (11:10): "If the pressure from employers and the public gets strong enough, we have seen the president back down in the past." (Timestamp: 11:10)

This suggests that sustained advocacy and economic pressures might influence future immigration policies.

Employer Responses: Protecting Workers Amid Enforcement

In response to heightened immigration enforcement, employers across various sectors have implemented measures to protect their undocumented workers.

• Ximena Bustillo (12:28): "Employers are training their staff on how to interact with immigration officials, asking for warrants, and protecting private spaces from unauthorized entries." (Timestamp: 12:28)

These proactive steps aim to minimize arrests and protect the workforce, although they do not entirely prevent enforcement actions.

Broader Economic Impact on Multiple Industries

Scott Horsley, NPR's chief economic correspondent, emphasizes that the ramifications of aggressive immigration enforcement extend beyond agriculture, affecting numerous other sectors reliant on immigrant labor.

• Lauren Schmies (13:35): "There are not many industries that will not see some ripple effects from this. It's going to raise the visibility of this enforcement effort and may increase resistance, as seen in places like California." (Timestamp: 13:35)

This widespread impact highlights the interconnectedness of various industries with the immigrant workforce.

Conclusion: Navigating Competing Priorities

The episode concludes by reflecting on the ongoing tug-of-war between enforcement and economic necessity. The administration's conflicting messages create uncertainty for industries dependent on immigrant labor, potentially leading to increased economic strain and higher consumer costs.

• Lauren Schmies (06:30): "It's a collision between mass deportation desires and promises to keep grocery prices low." (Timestamp: 06:16)

The discussion underscores the complexity of balancing immigration enforcement with economic stability, suggesting that without comprehensive immigration reform, both political promises and economic realities remain at odds.

---

Notable Quotes:

• "Around 40% of seasonal workers in specialty crops are without legal status." – Ximena Bustillo (03:19)
• "Immigrant labor has kept the US Economy growing at a time when our native-born workforce is aging and shrinking." – Lauren Schmies (05:05)
• "DHS Secretary Christy Noem has been on record saying there is no sector that is a safe place." – Ximena Bustillo (07:08)
• "If the pressure from employers and the public gets strong enough, we have seen the president back down in the past." – Lauren Schmies (11:10)

This episode of the NPR Politics Podcast offers a comprehensive examination of the delicate balance between immigration enforcement and the agricultural industry's operational needs, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of policy decisions on the nation's economy and workforce dynamics.

Transcript

[Sponsor Voice]

This message comes from hometap. What if you could use your home equity to pay off your debt without monthly payments so you could focus on reaching your other financial goals with a Hometap home equity investment. You can see if you Pre [e-mail].

[NPR Announcer]

Youm'Re listening to the NPR Network.

[Lauren Schmies]

Live from NPR News. I'm Lauren Schmies.

[NPR Announcer]

A living, breathing record of your neighborhood, the country, the world, told by thousands of local journalists who live in the places where stories unfold, backed by a national newsroom that puts it all in perspective. Hear the whole country's story. Hear ways of thinking that challenge your own. Hear the bigger picture with npr. Hi, this is Amber. I'll enjoying the last bit of a quiet morning before getting into my costume for the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival.

[Miles Parks]

This podcast was recorded at 1:08pm on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

[NPR Announcer]

Things may have changed by the time you hear it, but Fair Season will still be on at a festival near. Enjoy the show.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I want to know what her fit is.

[Miles Parks]

I know I am trying to imagine her like covered head to toe in some sort of regalia. Hey there. It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I'm Ximena Bustillo and I cover immigration policy.

[Miles Parks]

And today on the show, a contradiction for President Trump, how to fulfill the largest deportation program in American history without impacting a farming industry that relies on undocumented labor to help us sort through that is NPR chief economic correspondent Scott Horsley. Hi, Scott.

[Lauren Schmies]

Hi. Great to be with y' all.

[Miles Parks]

Yeah. Great to have you. So, Jimena, let's start with why we are having this conversation right now. The administration has really gone back and forth lately on whether the agriculture industry would be spared from this immigration crackdown. Can you get us up to speed and talk us through where we are right now?

[Ximena Bustillo]

Mm. So as recently as last week, President Trump took to social media and even spoke with reporters at the White House saying that he wanted to provide some sort of solution for specifically the agriculture sector. And at times, he's talked about hospitality, like hotels, for example, to be able to spare their workers or protect their workers or give them access to a workforce so that the supply chains won't crumble if all those workers were to leave or disappear. Now, this is not necessarily a new statement. He has made similar claims of promise of providing a carve out for this sector before. These statements also came a day after the agriculture industry saw probably what has been described to me as some of the biggest sweeps and actions against it. We saw 70 people get arrested at a meatpacking plant in Nebraska. Several farms just north of LA saw visits and arrests from immigration officials. And then dairy in New Mexico also saw some arrests. And that really put the industry on high alert. But DA spokesperson Trisha McLachlan confirmed today that despite Trump's comments last week, there has been no change in policy and that workplace raids would continue.

[Miles Parks]

So, I mean, how big of a problem is this for farmers? How much of the agriculture workforce is made up of people without legal status?

[Ximena Bustillo]

Yeah, let's break this workforce down a little bit. So when it comes to, you know, seasonal work, and that's typically what's called, like, quote, specialty crops, strawberries, apples, pears, you know, Those workers, about 4, 40% of them are without legal status in the country. That's an estimate from the US Department of Agriculture. And it's generally assumed to be an under account. Those numbers get higher when you are dealing with things like animals, for example. So looking at dairies, you know, farmers love to tell me cows need to be milked 365 days a year. Doesn't matter if it's a holiday or a weekend. So those employers do not qualify for certain visas that would allow you to bring in workers on a temporary basis. So they have a much larger proportion of workers without authorization to work in the United States. So, you know, if these workers were to disappear, I mean, it would be very disruptive to our supply chain. You know, a lot of people like to talk about COVID in the pandemic times when, you know, there was disruption to the labor force and workers got sick and, you know, we didn't see all the food that we normally saw at the grocery store. The other thing that comes into play right now, particularly is President Trump and his administration have revoked certain protections such as temporary protected status and parole for tens of thousands of people. That protected status gave people the authority to work in the United States and they went to go work at places like meat packing and processing plants, for example, they no longer have the authority to work in the United States. And so there's also now a subclass of people that had authorization that now no longer do it and are subject to these actions.

[Lauren Schmies]

And Jimenez said, you know, if this workforce were to disappear, well, we are already seeing a sharp drop in the foreign born workforce in the United States. The foreign born workforce has shrunk by a million people. Now, that includes both folks who are living in the country illegally and legally. But certainly some of those are probably people who have been frightened by these workplace enforcement actions and who have gone underground, who are frightened to go to work for fear of being arrested and perhaps separated from their family and deported. It has been immigrant labor in recent years that has really kept the US Economy growing at a time when our native born workforce is aging and all but shrinking. So it's not just farm workers, it's all kinds of industries, whether it's home health care, hospitality, construction. And so what we're seeing here is the collision between, on the one hand, the president's desire for mass deportation. This is a candidate who has been railing against immigration since he first drove down the golden escalator a decade ago, and on the other hand, Trump's promise in the 2024 campaign to lower grocery prices and to lower the cost of housing.

[Miles Parks]

So, Scott, if we're talking about such a big portion of the workforce in the agriculture industry, can you talk a little bit about what that would mean for the broader food system and for the economy as a whole?

[Lauren Schmies]

Yeah, I think it's just an economic law of nature that if you subtract a whole lot of workers in an industry, you're going to see costs rise for that. You're probably going to see a decline in production, and that means higher prices at the grocery store. And this is a president who has said over and over again that he thinks it was frustration, voters frustration with high grocery prices that put him back in the White House this year.

[Miles Parks]

So, Ximena, President Trump floats this idea of a carve out for the farming industry. How is an idea like that, I guess, received by other people in his administration, people who, you know, really do want to deport as many people as possible.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I mean, the reality is, is that the rest of his cabinet and even members within his administration at the White House are publicly not in line with that sentiment. You know, President Trump has been the only one to say that there will be some sort of carve out or policy to protect these workers. You know, DHS Secretary Christy Noem has been on record the last few weeks saying that they're not sparing any work sites, that there is no sector that is necessarily a safe place. Border czar out of the White House, Tom Homan has said that they're going to increase worksite enforcement instead. And so this is where we're seeing the agriculture industry really get whiplashed between what the president says to the base and then what the administration officials that are carrying out the policy and the plans are instead signaling they're going to do.

[Miles Parks]

All right, well, let's take a quick break. We'll talk more about this when we get back.

[Sponsor Voice]

This message comes from Saatva. Everyone has a unique skill or ability. It just needs to be discovered, then nurtured. One way to foster that is getting quality sleep, which can improve athletic abilities, increase energy and boost memory and learning. Every Saatva mattress is designed to promote that kind of sleep. In fact, Saatva was named best luxury mattress by sleepfoundation.org and now save $200 on $1,000 or [e-mail] NPR this message.

Comes from Strawberry Me. You've worked hard to get where you are, but what's next? Strawberry Me career coaching helps professionals like you take the next big step with confidence by matching you with a certified career coach who understands your goals and challenges. This isn't just advice. It's a personalized, results driven approach to uncover hidden strengths, overcome obstacles and accelerate your career growth. Visit Strawberry Me NPR to claim your $50 credit. This message comes from HomeTap. What if you could use your home equity to pay off your debt without monthly payments so you could focus on reaching your other financial goals? With a home equity investment from HomeTap, you can get access to your home equity in cash, get closer to financial freedom and get more out of life. Learn more and see if you pre qualify for an [e-mail] that's hometap.com.

[Miles Parks]

And we're back. So, Ximena, President Trump says he wants to find a solution to this issue, but it's a little bit unclear to me what a real solution looks like considering how much a number of these industries rely on immigrant labor with or without legal status. Is there a realistic solution here?

[Ximena Bustillo]

It's really complicated. You know, what farmers say that they're lobbying for is either A, access to visas if they don't already get that access. So thinking about the dairy farmers, they don't get access to visas. They want them. But then B, making a visa program that provides some sort of compromise between a pathway to citizenship for, you know, workers who are already here, at least a pathway to legal status. And also doesn't cost a fortune for farmers. The current visa structure is very expensive. It requires farmers to pay, you know, very high competitive wage, transportation, housing, medical care, all these things for the workers. The farmers say that it costs just way too much money. So the alternative to not having workers without legal status is some sort of visa reform system. And so to Scott's point earlier, the price of food goes up.

[Miles Parks]

We keep talking about these competing factors of wanting more deportation, but also not wanting grocery prices to go up. Scott, you covered President Trump's first term, and I'm curious how he thinks about which one of these ideas, I guess, is going to win out. Do you have any sense of that?

[Lauren Schmies]

I think what we're watching here is a real tug of war in real time, both among people in the administration and maybe for the president's own political sensibility. He likes to blur the line and paint every undocumented worker in the United States as a rapist, a gang member. But we did see in the president's social media post last week, he said our great farmers have been stating that this policy on immigration is taking very good longtime workers away from them. Well, that's not just the case on farms. That's true of workplaces around the country. And I think, you know, employers of all stripes are going to be making that case to the president. We don't have an objection to your enforcing the law and going after hardened criminals, but don't take our longtime hardworking immigrant employees. And if that pressure gets strong enough, I think we have seen the president back down in the past. I mean, in the first administration, when the hue and cry about family separations got loud enough, the president did back down.

[Miles Parks]

Jimena, staying on the idea of how these employers are responding to this, you've done some reporting that noted that employers in some cases have actually stepped in to protect their workers from immigration enforcement. Can you tell us about that?

[Ximena Bustillo]

Going into the second presidency, there was at least the understanding that worksite enforcement was going to be a priority for the administration. And so a lot of employers across the board schooled up on what to do if immigration officials came to their door. A very classic like know your rights, you know what to ask for, what notes to take where officers can and can't come. And, you know, what we have seen is some of that training be put into place. And so people are asking for warrants. People are not letting officers into private spaces. I mean, it doesn't always prevent an arrest. It doesn't always prevent being served with an audit for your paperwork to see if all your employees have all the legal forms that they need. But there definitely has been an increase in that training.

[Miles Parks]

Scott, you covered the economy as a whole. Can you talk about what other industries, I guess, could be impacted as well if workplace enforcement does continue?

[Lauren Schmies]

Yeah, I mean, there are certainly some industries that are more reliant on authorized workers than others. We've talked about agriculture, we've talked about construction. Certainly home healthcare is heavily reliant the hospitality business, whether that's hotels or restaurants. But there are not many industries that will not see some ripple effects from this. And that's going to raise the visibility of this enforcement effort, and it may raise some of the resistance that we've seen in California, for example.

[Miles Parks]

All right, Scott. Well, thank you so much for joining us and talking us through all this.

[Lauren Schmies]

Good to be with you.

[Miles Parks]

I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting.

[Ximena Bustillo]

I'm Jimena Bustillo, and I cover immigration policy.

[Miles Parks]

And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics podcast.

[Sponsor Voice]

This message comes from BetterHelp. June is Men's Mental Health Month, and every year, 6 million men in the U.S. suffer from depression. If you're feeling overwhelmed, BetterHelp can make asking for help easy. Visit betterhelp.com NPR Today, the House of.

Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years of previously approved for public media. The rescissions package now moves on to the Senate. This move poses a serious threat to local stations and public media as we know it. Please take a stand for public media [e-mail] thank you.

[NPR Announcer]

On the plus side, you get sponsor free listening to over 25 NPR podcasts. On the minus side, you get fewer chances to tap fast forward on your podcast player. On the plus side, you get to support something you care about. On the minus side, you like challenges and think this makes it too easy. So why don't you join us on the plus side of things with NPR plus, learn more and sign up at plus.NPR.org.