Trump suspends beats against immigrants on farms after pressure from agro

On the morning of last Wednesday (11), President Donald Trump received a call from Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, who would change, at least momentarily, the route of his migratory policy. Rollins led to the president a warning from the agricultural heart of the United States: Immigration Beats on Farms and Hotels were causing fear, mass evasion of workers and real risk of production paralyzing.

The next day, in surprisingly conciliatory tone, Trump wrote on his social network social network that “immigrants in agriculture and hospitality are good workers in the sector for a long time” and promised “changes on the way.” The message caused a revolt among White House members in favor of the hard line-among them Stephen Miller, architect of the mass deportation policy-and confused the command of the ICE (immigration and customs service).

But the decision had already been made. A few hours later, ICE issued an internal order suspending all inspection actions on farms, refrigerators, hotels and restaurants, at least temporarily.

Field and coffers pressure

The reversal exposed a classic dilemma of trumpland politics: promising “cleaning” the country of undocumented immigrants, but without shaking key sectors of the economy-such as agriculture and hospitality, where illegal immigrant labor under precarious exploitation is predominant.

Groups such as United Farm Workers (UFW), unions, agribusiness entrepreneurs and influential republican donors had intensified their complaints after the ICE beats in California, Idaho and Texas producing regions, in which dozens of workers were arrested, including in Oxnard Strawberry fields and the Central Valley wineries.

About 40% of the US agricultural workforce is composed of immigrants without legal status, according to the Department of Agriculture itself. With the escalation of the beats, up to 60% of workers failed to attend work in some regions, threatening the supply of food.

Fear Industry: “They are in the fields taking those who find it”

Despite the partial suspension of operations, reports of arrests in plantations continued on Friday (13), according to representatives of agricultural workers. “Even if Ice is not going directly to the fields, just the fact that agents are driving through the rural areas enough for workers to hide,” said Teresa Romero, president of UFW.

Romero told the NPR that children were calling to know where their parents were detained as they picked up fruits. In Oxnard, the union reported that several farms have temporarily closed, fearing new raids. “This is not law application, it is intimidation,” said Romero.

The UFW president made hard criticism of the administration: “Trump said he would deport criminals. But criminals are in prisons. He is deporting workers who support our tables with food.”

Reactions in Congress and between Allies

The reaction in the Republican Party was mixed. Representatives such as Tony Gonzalez (Texas) and Glenn Thompson (Pennsylvania) called for the deportation of immigrants with criminal record. Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Commission, said the beats on farms were “wrong” and demanded that the government “stop it”.

Already sectors on the right, such as commentator Jack Posobiec and the conservative group Oversight Project, accused the government of giving in to “pressure from great entrepreneurs” and weakening the promise of mass deports. “If Trump believes these workers are important, he can stop these beats right now,” Posobiec caused.

The policy between promise and production

Trump’s history with agribusiness helps to understand the turn. In his first term, he gave billions in federal aid to farmers affected by the trade war with China. During the pandemic, he declared rural workers as essential and allowed him to port letters to deliver them from migratory inspection.

Wayne Cornelius, emeritus professor at the University of California in San Diego, summarizes: “Trump is predictable where their own business or electoral base are affected – hotel and agriculture.”

Even so, the reality is that many workers follow in the field out of necessity, despite fear. “They are terrified, but they have accounts to pay. Still, they come back the next day,” said Romero.

Impacts on the future of migratory policy

Trump’s decision has generated confusion in Ice and may limit the scope of his promised “largest deportation operation in history.” The exclusion of farms and hotels – which employ millions of immigrants – reduces the practical impact of the operation and reveals the contradiction between electoral discourse and economic reality.

The reluctance to attack critical sectors for his base also raises doubts about how Trump intends to implement his promises, especially with increasing protests and legal opposition accumulating in the courts.

For now, while rhetoric on social networks persists, immigrant workers follow in the fields – with fear but still active. “If the beats continue, there will be fruits rotting in the plantations,” warns Romero. “And higher prices in markets.”

“Show, don’t say”

Teresa Romero’s phrase summarizes the feeling of many immigrant rights advocates: it is not enough to post a mild message on social networks. If Trump really intends to protect essential sectors of the economy – and the workers who maintain them – it needs to turn words into clear and permanent orders.

While this does not happen, thousands of immigrant families continue to live under the daily threat of being separated, deported and forgotten – even though, as the president himself acknowledged, “very good and longtime workers.”