Donald Trump’s team is beginning to realize the consequences of their massive deportation policy targeting undocumented immigrants.
In a surprising reversal, the Trump administration has quietly instructed federal agents to halt operations targeting undocumented immigrants in three crucial sectors of the American economy: agriculture, hospitality, and food service.
An internal memo, obtained by The New York Times and verified by federal officials, indicates that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been directed to “suspend” its workplace interventions in these sectors.
This shift in direction, occurring amid an intensive crackdown campaign by the administration, represents a tactical retreat on a central element of the MAGA president’s agenda, highlighted the New York Times. According to multiple sources close to the matter, this initiative aims to mitigate the negative impact of immigration policy on economically crucial sectors — and electorally significant for Donald Trump, who received substantial support from these industries during his reelection in 2024.
The directive, issued Thursday by ICE senior official Tatum King, specifies that “all workplace investigations and enforcement operations in agricultural, aquaculture, slaughterhouse, restaurant, and hotel sectors must be suspended until further notice.” The only exceptions are cases involving human trafficking, money laundering, or drug trafficking. Agents are explicitly prohibited from arresting immigrants without criminal records, referred to as “non-criminal collaterals.”
When questioned by The New York Times, Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, confirmed this approach: “We will follow the president’s guidelines and continue to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets.”
This policy shift comes amid growing protests, particularly in Los Angeles, against ICE operations targeting farms and businesses employing immigrant workers.
According to The New York Times revelations, Donald Trump was alerted this week by Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture, about farmers’ mounting concerns regarding these interventions. Trump himself acknowledged the impact of his policy on these sectors in a message posted on his social platform Thursday:
“Our great farmers and hospitality industry people are saying that our very aggressive immigration policy is taking away experienced workers who are almost impossible to replace.”
President Donald Trump, who has owned luxury hotels for several decades, now appears aware that the immigration crackdown threatens a vital workforce for certain industries traditionally aligned with Republicans, as highlighted by the New York Times. An administration official also recalled that during his first term, Republican lawmakers from rural areas had expressed concerns about the economic repercussions of mass arrests.
However, the interpretation of this directive remains ambiguous on the ground. A DHS agent, speaking anonymously to the New York Times, confided that this decision caught teams off guard, even as they faced intense pressure to increase arrest numbers. “The long-term implications remain uncertain,” he stated.
In his communication to ICE agents, senior official Tatum King himself admitted that this suspension could compromise established objectives: “by removing this lever, we’re eliminating a significant number of potential targets.”
In recent weeks, under the guidance of Stephen Miller, a close advisor to Donald Trump, the agency had intensified its operations, reaching over 2,000 arrests per day, according to data reported by The New York Times.
It’s highly likely that other major economic sectors will present similar requests regarding their workforce. Recently, ICE agents had conducted operations at several Home Depot establishments.
It is nevertheless crucial to note that this new directive does not prevent ICE from apprehending workers elsewhere.
