President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would resume “worksite enforcement” operations to ensure employees at farms and hotels are legally residing in the United States.
“I mean, we will concentrate on worksites on a prioritized basis just like we do at large operations,” Homan told reporters at the White House.
“We’ll prioritize those who have a criminal nexus.”
The border czar added that companies with a history of trafficking, forced labor, tax fraud and tax evasion would also be targeted in future ICE operations.
His comments come days after the Trump administration reversed course on workplace raids at hotels, restaurants and farms.
The White House previously issued a brief pause on sector-specific raids, citing concerns from business owners across the country.
“It’s a matter of messaging, proper messaging. The message is clear now: that we’re going to continue doing worksite enforcement operations, even on farms and hotels,” Homan said Thursday.
“But based on prioritized basis, criminals come first,” he added.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) echoed similar sentiments earlier this week.
“There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’s assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a Tuesday statement.
“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard 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,” she added.
However, President Trump noted that ICE may attempt to adjust immigration policies for service workers last week.
“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,” the president wrote in a Thursday Truth Social post.
“This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!” he added.
DHS officials said they would follow the White House’s lead in regards to removals and detainment procedures.
“We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” McLaughlin said.
Groups across the country have been organizing protests in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants without legal status. The president sent National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles to quell sometimes violent demonstrations regarding the detainment of dozens.
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