The Department of Homeland Security on Monday reversed course on guidance limiting immigration raids at farms, hotels and restaurants, according to a source familiar with the discussions — the latest example of whiplash for an agency tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
During a morning field call on Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told leaders representing field offices across the country that they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, the source said — a reversal from guidance issued days earlier under pressure from certain industries that rely on migrant workers.
“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability,” Homeland Security Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”
The call and directive were first reported by The Washington Post.
ICE has been under tremendous pressure to meet White House-imposed quotas on immigration arrests. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told ICE officials last month that they needed to arrest at least 3,000 people a day. ICE has been averaging around 2,000 people a day.
Trump has directed his ire at Democratic-led cities, calling on Sunday for ICE to “expand efforts” in “the Democrat Power Center.”
Speaking to reporters as he returned from the G7 summit in Canada, Trump addressed reports that ICE had resumed enforcement actions in locations such as hotels and bars.
“We’ll look everywhere, but I think the biggest problem is inner cities,” Trump said.
ICE has stepped up sweeps in recent weeks on industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers. That includes a local construction company in Exeter, Pennsylvania; construction sites in Brownsville, Texas; and a flood control project in New Orleans. ICE arrested about 40 people in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, two prominent vacation spots in Massachusetts, last month.
The enforcement operations have created a chilling effect on industries heavily reliant on immigrant workforces, such as farms and hotels, which the president appeared to acknowledge 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,” Trump said on Truth Social. “We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”
The administration’s immigration crackdown sparked protests in Los Angeles earlier this month, which prompted the president to mobilize both National Guard troops and Marines to deal with demonstrations over federal raids in the city.
Protests have expanded across the country, culminating in scores of anti-Trump demonstrators taking to the streets in “No Kings” protests nationwide over the weekend.
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