Trump admin reverses ban on ICE workplace enforcement for farms, hotels, restaurants

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reversed a decision that was made last week that would have exempted restaurants, farms, and hotels from ICE work site enforcement.

In a call on Monday, DHS leaders told immigration officials to continue doing worksite immigration enforcement at various businesses after a decision was made last week to exempt hotels, restaurants, and farms from ICE raids, two people familiar with the call told the Washington Post.

The exemption policy was starting to be put into practice when DHS leadership got word that the White House was not in favor of the exemption, the outlet said. On Thursday last week, an email from an official in DHS to immigration authorities said, "hold on all worksite enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels."

Around that time, Trump had suggested in a Truth Social post that there were concerns being raised by US businesses in the agricultural, hospitality, and restaurant industries. On Monday, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told reporters, “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts." She added, “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.”

According to the Washington Post, Trump advisor Stephen Miller, who has been central to crafting the president's immigration policy, was opposed to making exceptions for different industries for work site enforcement. However, Brook Rollins, the Agriculture Secretary in the Trump administration, had heard concerns from farmers about losing their workers.

In the last few weeks, the White House has moved to increase the number of deportations of illegal immigrants, with Miller setting a target minimum of 3,000 ICE arrests a day. On Sunday, Trump said on Truth Social in line with the goal that the administration would "expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside."