Will Trump shift his immigration policy when it comes to ag labor and hospitality?
President Trump’s latest comments on illegal farm workers and hospitality workers set social media ablaze with debate
Opinion-Analysis by Summer Lane
On Thursday, President Trump set tongues wagging when he released a Truth Social statement hinting that major changes may be coming to his immigration policy as it pertains to the deportation of farm laborers and hospitality workers, posing a curious question: will the president allow some illegal migrants to live and work in America, despite the nationwide deportation operation?
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” President Trump wrote.
He added that “in many cases” criminals who entered the country during the Biden administration’s open borders policy were applying for these jobs. “This is not good,” Trump said.
Nearly half of the U.S. agricultural labor force is estimated to be comprised of illegal migrants, according to the Center for Migration Studies. Hospitality workers – positions like custodians, housekeepers, and beyond – make up around 7.6 percent of the industry, as well.
“We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!” Trump concluded in his statement, leading many to wonder if this meant he would soften his stance on deportation.
A follow-up statement
Addressing the destruction and dangers of illegal immigration was arguably the winning component of President Trump’s 2024 campaign, so it seems unlikely that the president would stop deporting those who have immigrated to the United States in violation of federal law.
In fact, just after posting his statement regarding American farm labor and hospitality workforces, President Trump published another post seemingly addressing this very question.
“I campaigned on, and received a Historic Mandate for, the largest Mass Deportation Program in American History. Polling shows overwhelming Public Support for getting the Illegals out, and that is exactly what we will do,” Trump wrote Thursday afternoon.
He promised to protect and defend ICE and Border Patrol agents and noted that anyone assaulting or attacking these “heroes” would do “hard time in jail.”
“Those who are here illegally should either self deport using the CBP Home App or, ICE will find you and remove you. Saving America is not negotiable!” he declared.
This seems to suggest that President Trump will not be slowing down his administration’s efforts to remove violent illegal criminals from American soil, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t change the policy for illegal farm laborers and hospitality workers.
Trump’s explanation of the problem
The United States is largely behind President Trump’s immigration policies, and in the wake of violent immigration riots in Los Angeles, his decision to send in the National Guard to halt the looting and attacks against law enforcement has been overwhelmingly popular.
A new InsiderAdvantage poll found that 59 percent of Americans approved of the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to the city, signaling that everyday citizens are sick and tired of anarchic riots and general disrespect for men and women in uniform.
And yet President Trump’s initial post about farm workers and the hospitality industry seems to indicate that his administration may be open to granting some kind of regulated approval for workers to either stay in America under certain conditions, or simply heavily vet the immigrants applying for jobs now.
During a bill signing event on Thursday at the White House, Trump offered more details on his thoughts about illegal workers who have lived peacefully in the United States and consistently worked for American farmers.
“They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be, you know, great,” he said. “We have to do something about that. We can’t take farmers and take all their people and send them back…what’s going to happen and what is happening, they get rid of some of the people.”
Trump said that farmworker vacancies were being filled by aliens with criminal records. “We’re going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think,” he said, hinting at a future executive order addressing this issue.
“We’re going to have to use a lot of common sense,” he added.
Potential pathways
President Trump’s comments on the illegal workers in American agriculture and hospitality stirred debate this week, prompting some to wonder if he was considering amnesty. This certainly was not a discussion in his campaign, and it is highly unlikely that it will be a component of his immigration policy.
In anticipation of an executive order addressing the ag and hospitality labor forces here illegally, the Trump administration may simply allow these workers to apply for a visa in the style of the “Bracero Program” that arose in the 1900s, which allowed immigrants to work seasonally in U.S. agriculture on a short-term basis. According to the Wilson Center, legal immigration hit its peak in 1956 during this program, likely because it provided a safe and reasonable pathway to work in the U.S., benefitting both farmers and workers.
Another option the Trump administration could embrace is simply giving deported workers the option to come back to America under such a revitalized visa worker program, allowing these individuals a fair shot at maintaining their station in these industries while adhering to federal immigration law.
Neither of these options would be unfair for these workers or the American people, but conservatives on social media have been very clear that they prefer a more cut-and-dried approach to Trump’s promised deportation operation.
“Ungoverned” host and conservative personality Shawn Farash noted on X, “…If there is indeed an exception made for illegal alien ‘farm workers’ and ‘hospitality workers’ then you’re really creating TWO exceptions: One for illegals who work in those industries[.] And one for employers who are giving jobs to illegals to avoid paying American workers a fair wage. And I’m not cool with any of that.”
One self-professed MAGA account on X added to the layered conversation, arguing, “No, President Trump, illegal hotel workers and farm workers should not stay. You promised mass illegal deportations. Hotels are rich & can up their pay. Not my problem. I’m willing to pay MORE for groceries if it means illegals OUT.”
This seems to be the overall sentiment on social media among both well-known conservative figures as well as everyday American voters.
President Trump has proven that he is a trustworthy leader devoted to putting America First, so it is only fair that the country wait and see what his executive order on this issue will be before passing judgment, but one thing is clear: America and MAGA certainly has no qualms about voicing their opinion on this subject.
