President Trump’s comments on illegal farm and hotel workers reignite debate, but there’s more to the story
During a ‘Salute to America’ event on Thursday, the president’s remarks hinted at forthcoming legislation aimed at assuaging concerns about ebbing labor forces
Opinion-editorial by Summer Lane | July 4, 2025
President Donald Trump renewed debate on Thursday night about the status of illegal farm and hotel workers in the United States, dropping hints about forthcoming legislation on the issue and sparking some debate among supporters about what the proposed policy could be.
On Thursday, the president netted a huge victory when Congress finally passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which will provide funding for border security operations and deportation, ICE and Border Patrol hiring, and border wall construction.
On the heels of such a momentous victory, President Trump delivered remarks at the Iowa State Fairgrounds during a “Salute to America” event commemorating the beginning of a year-long leadup to the country’s 250th birthday.
During his speech, he discussed illegal immigration, and lightly touched on a subject that drew a considerable amount of controversy a few weeks ago: potentially allowing illegal migrants working on farms or for hotels an option for staying here to stem labor loss for those two mega-industries.
“We’re working on legislation right now where, farmers – look, they know better, they work with them for years…we’ve got to work with the farmers, and people who have hotels and leisure properties too. We’re going to work with them, and we’re going to work very strong and smart,” he said.
Trump said there were “cases” of illegal migrants who had been working at such properties for years who were getting very “viciously” thrown out – deported – and noted that “we can’t do it – we’ve got to work with the farmers.”
Such a comment seems to present a stark contrast to President Trump’s fiery rhetoric about deporting millions of illegal entrants who poured across the border under the Biden administration, and it has drawn criticism from conservatives online who have rightly pointed out that the cornerstone of Trump’s campaign in 2024 was assuaging illegal immigration, not allowing loopholes for it.
The broader picture
A few weeks ago, Trump released a statement on Truth Social initially broaching the concept of allowing illegal workers at farms and hotels an option outside of self-deportation or arrest: third-door legislation mediating the needs of corporate agricultural and leisure giants with illegal workers.
“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,” he wrote.
He said in that first statement that “changes” would be coming to his deportation policies, sparking debate and fear online that the president was hinting at a form of amnesty for such workers.
As reported by LindellTV, the president was unclear what kind of changes might be coming. Trump might be thinking about a legal immigration visa option for long-time migrant workers in the vein of the 1950s-era “Bracero Program,” which allowed seasonal ag workers to labor in the U.S. legally.
There are a few directions this could go, but one thing is clear: even the smallest hint of amnesty is wildly unpopular with American voters, and President Trump likely knows this.
“No. Americans did not vote for amnesty. We voted for mass deportations,” said the Immigration Accountability Project on X, following Trump’s remarks.
To be clear, Trump said nothing about amnesty, but the ambiguous nature of his comments has led to widespread speculation, with some pointing the finger at U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins as the fuel in this political fire.
‘You’re the one that brought this whole situation up’
The theory that Rollins is the driving force behind a more moderate stance on ag and hotel workers is not conspiracy: President Trump publicly pegged her as the source for it on Thursday night. “Madame Secretary, look at you with the white hat on. Do you think they’ll understand that you’re the one that brought this whole situation up?” he asked.
Trump said “serious radical right people” would “not be quite as happy” with the legislation or solutions his administration was working on to assuage the demands from what is likely “Big Ag” and the multi-billion-dollar leisure industry.
However, in all fairness to President Trump, he has repeatedly proven that he is true to his word, and after his remarks on Thursday evening, he and Secretary Rollins addressed the issues of farm labor with the press before departing on Air Force One.
Rollins said she was working with White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller to develop a plan to ensure American agriculture doesn’t grind to a halt amid massive deportations.
Miller is a staunch advocate of mass deportations, and his involvement will likely bring a sigh of relief to many Trump supporters.
Rollins noted that she was also working with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to streamline the H2A visa system, which allows seasonal ag workers to labor in the U.S.
This seems to provide some confirmation that Trump is indeed looking at reforming and revitalizing the legal visa worker program, which should please many voters.
Admittedly, President Trump’s language while discussing this topic has thus far left enough ambiguity for Americans to jump to the conclusion that amnesty is on the table for illegal laborers in the U.S., but this sentiment has never been expressed by the president or his cabinet members.
Secretary Rollins said last month that she is aligned with the president’s agenda of deporting “EVERY illegal alien” and noted that her approach was “Farmers First.”
She said she was concerned about “disruptions to our food supply that would harm Americans,” and said deportations were being prioritized around this issue accordingly.
It’s not a fully-formed picture yet
The Trump administration’s forthcoming legislation on this has not yet seen the light of day, so a true judgment on it cannot be made. However, it is good that American voters have the ability to quickly and loudly voice their opinion on potential or pending policies being considered by their leaders.
Americans – particularly MAGA voters – know exactly what they voted for, and they will not be so quick to allow Trump’s cabinet members to forget. This is a good thing, and it’s a key part of keeping the republic peacefully in check.
Until this proposed legislation sees the light of day, Americans must reserve their judgment on it and continue to trust that President Donald Trump will do his best to protect America first, as he has always done.
Photo: Adobe Stock
