Trump Orders ICE Pause on Raids at Farms, Hotels, Restaurants

The Trump administration has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to pause raids and arrests at farms, hotels, restaurants, and meatpacking plants due to concerns about the negative impact of aggressive immigration enforcement on these key industries. President Trump expressed alarm that deporting longtime, experienced workers was causing workforce shortages, with business owners reporting difficulty in replacing them. A senior ICE official, Tatum King, sent an internal directive to halt workplace enforcement operations in these sectors unless the cases involve serious crimes such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, or money laundering. This policy shift follows pushback from industry leaders and six Hispanic Republican members of Congress who urged focusing on removing criminals rather than all undocumented workers. Despite the pause in certain enforcement areas, ICE continues to prioritize arrests related to criminal offenses, maintaining broader immigration enforcement efforts. The administration's decision reflects a balancing act between its hardline immigration stance and the practical economic realities faced by American businesses reliant on immigrant labor.