Trump Halts ICE Raids on Farms, Hotels, and Restaurants Amid Backlash
WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) — The Trump administration has instructed U.S. immigration authorities to suspend most workplace raids targeting farms, hotels, restaurants, and meatpacking plants, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters and confirmed by officials familiar with the matter.
The directive, which came directly from President Donald Trump, marks a shift from a recent push for more aggressive enforcement led by White House adviser Stephen Miller. According to a source close to the situation, Trump was unaware of the full scope of the enforcement campaign and reversed course once he realized its extent.
Issued on Thursday, the new guidance still permits investigations into serious crimes such as human trafficking. The New York Times first reported the change in policy.
Trump, who began his presidency in 2017 with a pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, has often emphasized targeting individuals with serious criminal records. However, recent enforcement actions have swept up thousands of undocumented immigrants with no criminal history, sparking criticism.
ICE’s increasingly aggressive tactics, including high-profile raids in cities like Los Angeles, have drawn protests and condemnation from Democrats. Some Republicans have also urged the administration to focus on apprehending criminal offenders rather than conducting broad sweeps.
On Thursday, Trump said he would soon issue an order to address the impact of immigration enforcement on industries such as agriculture and hospitality, which rely heavily on immigrant labor. “We 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,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.
The White House also pointed to a social media post from Trump in which he acknowledged concerns from farms and hospitality businesses that immigration enforcement was removing “very good, long time workers.”
For years, U.S. farm industry groups have urged the administration to shield their sector from mass deportations, warning that such actions could disrupt the nation’s food supply chain, which depends heavily on immigrant labor.
Despite the new directive, the United Farm Workers union expressed skepticism, saying members continued to report immigration arrests even after the guidance was issued. “As long as Border Patrol and ICE are allowed to sweep through farm worker communities making chaotic arrests…they are still hunting down farm workers,” the union said in a statement.
Reporting by Ted Hesson and Marisa Taylor; additional reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco, Ismail Shakil in Ottawa, and Anusha Shah in Bengaluru. Edited by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Franklin Paul.
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Source: reuters.com