Top News: Ag Secretary Says President Trump is ‘Hyper-Focused’ on Fixing Farm Labor and H-2A Program
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke about the president’s ongoing commitment to farmers and the urgent need to overhaul the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program on Fox News Thursday.
“This president is absolutely hyper-focused on fixing this [labor] issue, it is one that our farmers need fixed, they are the real victims in a lot of ways of this entire program that’s been so broken, the H-2A program” Rollins said.
Watch the clip:
“So how do we fix it? What do we need to do? [Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer] is on it, Kristi Noem and I and others are certainly talking about it nonstop and our commitment to the farmers, we’ve got to fix it,” she added.
Rollins said the president has focused on securing the border, and ensuring every worker in America is here legally, but at the same time “not compromising our food supply.”
“The minute that we are reliant on other countries to feed ourselves is the minute that we are no longer the world’s super power,” Rollins said.
More than 200 employers and small businesses wrote an open letter to President Trump with ABIC Action in July, expressing support for commonsense immigration and workforce solutions, including the President’s suggestion for a work permit program for farm, hotel, and restaurant workers.
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WATCH: Denver Chef, DACA Recipient Byron Gomez Lends His Support to Immigration Reform
One of Denver’s top chefs is serving up Michelin-starred cuisine, and he’s lending his support to bipartisan efforts towards immigration reform, including the bi-partisan Dignity Act.
Watch:
“We’re starting a conversation,” Gomez said. “It’s not being swept underneath the rug. And something has to come out of that. We are at a better place than we were five years ago.”
In August, Gomez helped launch Seat the Table, a collaboration between ABIC Action, the James Beard Foundation, Independent Restaurant Association, Denver Eats, the Texas Restaurant Association and the Latino Restaurant Association, plus 14 more national and local organizations to call for work permits for immigrant workers and a solution to the labor shortage restaurants, bars, and hotels are experiencing.
News Briefing:
Trump Admin Data Shows 70% of ICE Detainees Do Not Have Criminal Convictions
New numbers released at the end of August again show the majority of those inICE detention lack criminal convictions, contradicting Trump administration claims that most detainees are known criminals. As of August 29, a record 61,226 people were being held in ICE facilities nationwide:
New Bill Offers Green Card Pathway for Immigrant Workers
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D–NM 2) introduced the Strengthening Our Workforce Act, offering a pathway to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants in critical sectors like agriculture, health care, construction, and emergency services.
Eligible workers would receive a two-year conditional status if they prove continuous U.S. presence since Jan. 1, 2024, and meet work requirements. After two years, they could apply for a green card. Co-sponsors include Reps. Juan Vargas (D-CA 52), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY 7), Delia Ramirez (D-IL 3), and Angie Craig (D-MN 2).
AP: 1.2 Million Immigrants Are Gone From the U.S. Labor Force Under Trump, Preliminary Data Shows
More than 1.2 million immigrants exited the labor force from January through the end of July, according to preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by the Pew Research Center. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents.
The drop is heavily impacting labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture (45% immigrant labor), construction (30% immigrant labor), and home health care (43% immigrant labor) reported the AP.
“A lot of crops did go to waste,” already due to ICE raids and fear of raids, said Elizabeth Rodriguez, director of farmworker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry in McAllen, Texas.
Construction jobs are down in about half of U.S. metropolitan areas, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Hiring would increase if “tougher immigration enforcement wasn’t disrupting labor supplies,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.
A J.P. Morgan analysis from last month found that the drop in foreign-born worker participation did not coincide with growth of native-born labor force participation, which also dropped YoY:
Newsweek: Trump’s Immigration Policies Could Lead to First Ever Population Decline
The U.S. may experience its first population decrease in 250 years this year, driven by plummeting immigration (a 96% drop from prior peaks), heightened deportations, and low birth rates. Over 1.4 million immigrants have left, through deportation and voluntary departure, lowering the workforce’s immigrant share to 19%, down from 20%.
Economists say a declining birthrate coupled with reduced immigration could exacerbate the economic issues associated with America’s aging population. As the country loses out on working-age people—both U.S. and foreign-born—this shrinking labor force and consumer base threatens productivity and demand, while straining social safety net programs and ultimately slowing economic growth.
CBS: Trump Administration to End Temporary Status of Another 268,000 Venezuelan Migrants, Urging Them to Self-Deport
The Trump administration announced it will end temporary protected status (TPS) for nearly 270,000 Venezuelan migrants granted the status in 2021, with their legal status potentially expiring within two months. The program, set to expire Sept. 10, could have been renewed but instead is being terminated. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court allowed DHS to end TPS for another group of 350,000 Venezuelans granted protections in 2023, while related legal challenges continue.
WaPo Opinion: Trump Is Wrong About What American Workers Want From Him
John Lettieri, president and CEO of the Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan public policy organization shared results from a new national survey of more than 1,500 U.S. workers (defined as adults employed or looking for work) revealing a disconnect between the president’s signature priority and the issues workers care about most.
*Source Economic Innovation Group’s Worker Survey
CNN: E-Verify Was Supposed To Make It Easy For Companies To Follow Immigration Law. Now Even The Feds Say It Can’t Be Trusted
A Maine police department hired an undocumented worker as a reserve officer, exposing major flaws in the federal E-Verify system. ICE accused the city of “knowingly” breaking the law, but the city said the flaw was with the federal verification program that it used to confirm the man was permitted to work.
NPR: Logan Airport is Losing Immigrant Workers as Trump Administration Changes the Rules
At Boston’s Logan Airport over 80 immigrant service workers lost their jobs after U.S. officials revoked their clearances. Hundreds more at airports across the country face similar disruptions after the Trump administration ended the CHNV parole program.
“What’s going on at the airport as a whole is extremely chaotic. And not just Boston, but across the United States,” said Kevin Brown, an executive vice president with the Service Employees International Union.
Enforcement News
CBS: 475 Detained In Raid At Huge Hyundai Site In Georgia, Officials Say
Federal agents detained 475 immigrants suspected of living and working in the U.S. illegally during a large-scale enforcement operation at Hyundai’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle facility in Georgia. The sweep involved multiple agencies, including ICE, Border Patrol, FBI, DEA, ATF, and IRS.
The plant, hailed as the state’s largest economic development project, employs about 1,200 people. South Korea said Friday it expressed “concern and regret” to the U.S. Embassy over the raid and that “many” South Korean nationals had been detained.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the U.S. and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unfairly violated,” said Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of the key U.S. ally.
PBS: Federal Immigration Enforcement Will ‘Flood the Zone’ in Sanctuary Cities, Homan Says
President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that the administration plans to “flood the zone” in sanctuary cities with federal immigration enforcement officers.
“We got 10,000 more agents coming on, we’re going to flood the zone,” Homan told reporters outside the White House.
Last week, the Trump administration asked a military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations, offering a clue of what an expanded law enforcement crackdown might look like in the nation’s third-largest city.
Chicago’s businesses that serve the Latino community will be deeply affected and have already been hurting this year, reported Chicago Business. In interviews, small-business owners and leaders in the Chicago area said immigration arrests and deportations are the main factor behind year-over-year revenue drops ranging from 20% to 50%.
Chicago Tribune: Southwest Detroit Small Businesses Reeling Amid Trump Immigration Crackdown: ‘A Disaster’
In Michigan’s largest Latino community, business owners say Trump’s mass deportation push is devastating sales and hollowing out neighborhoods. Salon owner Araceli Hernandez reports revenues down 50% on peak days, as deportations and fear keep longtime customers away and deter locals from being out in public.
New York Times: Pair Of Immigration Raids Disrupts A New Jersey Shipping Hub
Immigration raids at warehouses in Edison, N.J., a logistics hub for Amazon, FedEx, and UPS, left facilities short-staffed after dozens of workers were detained. Remaining employees say they live in constant fear, disrupting operations and sparking widespread anxiety among immigrant workers, even those with legal status.
Jose Ante, 37, is an Ecuadorean warehouse worker who said he had a work permit and an active asylum case but still feared being picked up:
“It’s a psychological trauma, really, wondering if you have to run, to hide, to know where you could hide, even if you did nothing wrong,” he said.
Reuters: Inside ICE, Trump’s Migrant Crackdown is Taking a Toll on Officers
ICE agents are facing burnout and frustration as Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown drives record raids and arrest quotas, driving arrests of thousands who have no criminal record and some who have valid visas, or even U.S. citizenship. Current and former officials told Reuters the pressure is straining morale, with agents detaining thousands who have no criminal record, valid visas, or even U.S. citizenship. The agency is launching a recruitment drive to add 10,000 officers.
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ABIC in the news. . .
- El Restaurante, Seat at the Table Calls for Immigrant Work Permits (9/4/25)
- Fox: Revamping the work permit program | Texas: The Issue Is (8/24/25)
- Havana News: Support for Trump Drops in South Texas, Leaders Discuss Challenges at ABIC Roundtable (8/26/25)
- Axios: Trump deportations could hurt Illinois businesses, raise prices (8/19/25)
- Rolling Stone Magazine: This Burger is Brought You By Immigrants (8/18/25)
- Denver 7: Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans picks up support for immigration reform bill (8/15/25)
- Fox: Texas Leaders Urge Federal Action on Immigration to Address Workforce Shortages (8/15/25)
- Good Day Austin: Seat the Table Launch (8/14/25)
- Telemundo: Lideres locales discuten como la región pudiera verse afectada por operativos migratorios (8/16/25)
- Politico: Trump teased a solution for farmers. It’s likely not coming soon (8/8/25)
- Rapid Response Podcast: How Immigration Raids Are Reshaping The Economy (8/6/25)
- Washington Times: Voters Embrace Leniency For Migrants In Farms, Hotels, Construction (8/1/25)
- ABC15: Arizona caregiver fighting to stay in the United States(7/30/25)
- Equipment World: As ICE Raids Rise, Contractors Call for Immigration Reform with Work Permit (7/28/25)
- Axios: ICE Raids Disrupt Utah Restaurants, Fuel Fear (7/18/25)
- WSOC TV: NC Builders Concerned Over Immigration Crackdowns, Worker Shortages (7/18/25)
- Barron’s: Inside The Immigration Raid That Shook Horse Racing—And What It Means For U.S. Businesses (7/17/25)
- Washington Post: Horse racing depends on immigrants who are suddenly working in fear (7/13/25)
- WRAL: Federal immigration crackdown could slow Triangle construction, builders warn (7/17/25)
- El Restaurante: TRA Prez Hopes Immigration Issues “Get to the Table” (7/9/25)
- El Restaurante: Survey-Restaurants Fear ICE and Take Action (7/9/25)
- Politico, ‘Essential isn’t a strong enough word’: Loss of foreign workers begins to bite US economy, (7/8/25)
- NPR, Why American farmers rely on unauthorized workers, (7/8/25)
- Newsweek, Migrant Farm Workers Says It Will Be ‘Chaos’ Without Them, (6/29/25)
- Newsweek, ICE Raids on US Farms Leaves Crops Rotting, (6/30/25)
- Tampa Bay Times: Immigrant raids at farms, work sites? Not the answer, businesses say (06/27/25)
- Newsweek: Families Face $2,150 Bill From Trump’s Immigration Policies—Study (06/27/25)