ICE Raids on Farms
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. Despite recent assurances from President Trump and Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, Homeland Security has now reversed guidance and says it WILL conduct immigration raids on farms.
Secretary Rollins recently tried to ease tensions with the House Agriculture Committee …
ROLLINS … “At our April 10th cabinet meeting, the president himself brought this issue up, and specifically directed Secretary Chavez-Deremer, along with myself and Secretary Noem, our DHS secretary, to ensure that we are doing everything we can to make sure that these farmers and ranchers have the labor that they need.”
Despite that, DHS has just directed its field offices not to exempt farms, hotels and restaurants from enforcement actions, a big concern for House Ag Chair GT Thompson …
THOMPSON … “Recent enforcement actions have begun to impact and even target agricultural operations, and yet there’s still a lack of clarity for producers.”
Fellow Republican and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says that will take action by Congress …
GRASSLEY … “We ought to provide legislation that takes care of this issue and have legal employment…and you can’t encourage illegal immigration.”
A legislative immigration solution has eluded Congress for years since farm labor couldn’t be addressed alone.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall expressed concern about immigration enforcement continuing on farms, saying Congress must prioritize fixing the farm labor crisis the President identified.
