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DHS
reverses
course,
orders
ICE to
resume
Immigration
raids at
farms,
hotels,
and
restaurants
Tanya
Sommerfield
-
Immigration/Law
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
- The
Department
of
Homeland
Security
(DHS) on
Monday
abruptly
reversed
its own
guidance
from
last
week,
instructing
Immigration
and
Customs
Enforcement
(ICE)
agents
to
resume
immigration
raids at
farms,
hotels,
and
restaurants—a
move
that
aligns
with
President
Donald
Trump’s
push for
mass
deportations
despite
mounting
pressure
from
business
leaders
in key
industries.
Just
days
earlier,
DHS had
paused
worksite
enforcement
operations
at
agricultural
businesses,
hotels,
and
restaurants,
responding
to
outcry
from
farm and
hospitality
executives
who
warned
that
aggressive
raids
were
depleting
their
workforce
and
threatening
economic
stability.
President
Trump
himself
acknowledged
the
concerns,
stating
on
social
media
that the
administration’s
“very
aggressive
policy
on
immigration
is
taking
very
good,
long
time
workers
away,”
signaling
that
“changes
are
coming”
to
protect
farmers
and
hospitality
businesses.
However,
according
to
officials
familiar
with
internal
discussions,
ICE and
its
Homeland
Security
Investigations
(HSI)
division
told
agency
leaders
during
an 11
a.m.
call
Monday
that
agents
must
continue
conducting
raids at
these
sites.
The new
instructions
were
delivered
to
representatives
from 30
ICE
field
offices
nationwide.
The
reversal
comes as
ICE
faces
intense
pressure
from the
White
House to
ramp up
arrests
and
fulfill
President
Trump’s
goal of
the
largest
domestic
deportation
operation
in U.S.
history.
White
House
Deputy
Chief of
Staff
Stephen
Miller
has set
a target
of 3,000
arrests
per
day—well
above
the
current
average
of
around
2,000.
Miller
has
reportedly
opposed
any
carve-outs
for
industries
dependent
on
immigrant
labor,
while
Agriculture
Secretary
Brooke
Rollins
has
advocated
for
protecting
the farm
workforce.
“There
will be
no safe
spaces
for
industries
who
harbor
violent
criminals
or
purposely
try to
undermine
ICE’s
efforts,”
said DHS
Assistant
Secretary
Tricia
McLaughlin
on
Monday.
“Worksite
enforcement
remains
a
cornerstone
of our
efforts
to
safeguard
public
safety,
national
security
and
economic
stability”.
The
rapid
policy
shifts
have
left
employers
and
industry
groups
in
limbo.
Many had
welcomed
last
week’s
pause as
a sign
the
administration
was open
to
compromise,
only to
be
confronted
with
Monday’s
reversal.
The
agriculture,
hospitality,
and food
processing
sectors—already
facing
labor
shortages—are
bracing
for
renewed
enforcement
actions
that
could
further
strain
their
operations.
The
policy
whiplash
also
reflects
deep
divisions
within
the
administration
and the
broader
Republican
coalition,
as Trump
attempts
to
balance
hardline
immigration
enforcement
with the
economic
realities
facing
key
voter
blocs
and
business
interests.
The
resumption
of raids
comes
amid a
broader
escalation
in
immigration
enforcement,
with ICE
operations
recently
targeting
locations
ranging
from
meatpacking
plants
to
retail
stores.
California
has seen
large-scale
protests
and the
unprecedented
deployment
of
federal
troops
to Los
Angeles
in
response
to the
crackdown.
While
the
administration
says it
is
focused
on
removing
“dangerous
criminal
illegal
aliens,”
recent
enforcement
sweeps
have
also
included
thousands
of
individuals
with no
criminal
records.
As the
administration
presses
forward,
both
supporters
and
critics
are
watching
closely
to see
how the
renewed
raids
will
impact
America’s
food
supply,
labor
market,
and
political
landscape.
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