The Trump administration is reversing course on a short-lived pause in immigration enforcement, resuming workplace raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants.
According to reports from the Washington Post and CNN, Homeland Security officials instructed agency leadership on Monday to proceed with enforcement operations at businesses known to employ large numbers of undocumented migrants. This marks the end of a days-long halt that had temporarily paused such activity.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue in a June 12 post on Truth Social, acknowledging the impact of aggressive immigration policies on several key industries. “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,” Trump wrote.
On the same day, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly received an internal order to pause all worksite enforcement operations involving agriculture — including aquaculture and meatpacking plants — as well as restaurants and operational hotels, according to the New York Times.
But by June 17, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signaled a return to enforcement via a statement on social media. “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” DHS tweeted.
“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation,” the statement continued.
The resumption of immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants is likely to heighten fear and uncertainty among undocumented immigrants, many of whom work in these sectors and have few alternative employment options.
