Trump's border czar: Immigration raids at farms, hotels to continue

Key Facts: Immigration Raids Under Trump’s Border Czar

• Raids Continue: Farms, hotels, and restaurants remain targets despite a brief pause .

• Prioritization: Criminals and public safety threats are the focus, per Border Czar Tom Homan .

• Industry Impact: Agriculture and hospitality sectors face labor destabilization .

• Political Reversal: DHS rescinded exemptions after White House pressure .

• Legislative Push: Rep. Michael McCaul advocates for stricter policies like “Remain in Mexico” .

The Whiplash Directive

Farmers breathed easier last week. Trump paused ICE raids targeting their workers. Cabinet members warned of economic chaos—crops rotting, hotels understaffed. Then came Monday. DHS reversed course. No exemptions for farms or hotels. Raids back on. White House demands trumped pragmatism. Stephen Miller’s hardline stance won. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins lost. The fields brace again .

Homan’s Justification

Tom Homan faces reporters. Cold eyes. “Criminals come first,” he says. Farms? Hotels? Fair game. He dismisses labor concerns. “Legal programs exist.” Farmers should use them. Congress failed, he shrugs. That doesn’t mean laws go unenforced. His voice is gravel. “It’s illegal to knowingly hire an illegal alien.” No sympathy for industries built on shadows. Blame the system, not the enforcer .

Industry Under Siege

A Washington Post source describes panic. ICE memo leaks: raids paused at meatpacking plants, fisheries. Relief lasts days. DHS smashes that hope. Tricia McLaughlin’s statement bites: “No safe spaces.” Farmers count losses. Workers vanish. One grower mutters about strawberries unpicked. Hotels cancel bookings. Lack of housekeepers. Miller wants 3,000 arrests daily. Homan brags of 2,000. Bodies fill vans. The economy chokes .

McCaul’s Hardline Blueprint

Texas Rep. Michael McCaul leans into the mic. “Remain in Mexico worked.” He pounds the lectern. He co-wrote the Securing America’s Future Act—E-Verify mandates, border wall funding, 10,000 new agents. Kill chain migration. Sanctuary cities? Starve their funds. His plan: DACA recipients get temporary status, but gang affiliates get nothing. “Our borders are failing,” he declares. Biden’s policies? “Complicit in chaos” .

Sanctuary Cities in Crosshairs

Los Angeles burns. Protests swarm ICE raids. Trump sends National Guard. Marines flank streets. Homan targets these cities deliberately. “They knowingly release public safety threats.” He spits the words. California Guard units mobilize for Vance’s visit. Sources whisper of federalized troops. Churches hide families. ICE vans circle blocks. The message: defiance gets crushed first .

The Raid Machinery

Internal DHS emails expose the gears. June 12: Hold all agriculture and hotel operations. June 16: Resume immediately. Field offices scramble. Arrest quotas loom—3,000 daily. Meatpacking raids yield hundreds per sweep. Easy targets. An ICE memo admits: exempting farms “eliminates a significant # of potential targets.” Efficiency over empathy. Statistics over stomachs .

ICE Raid Targets (Priority Order)

1. Criminal convictions

2. Sanctuary city operations

3. Agriculture sector

4. Hospitality sector

5. Restaurants

Unresolved Tensions

Trump posts on Truth Social. “EXPAND EFFORTS IN LARGE CITIES!” Yet farms still sweat. Rollins lobbies quietly. Homan offers no compromise. “Prioritized basis” rings hollow. Farmers ask: Who picks peaches? Congress stays silent. McCaul’s bills gather dust. The dance continues—raid, retreat, raid again. The soil doesn’t care about politics. It needs hands .

Legislative Ghosts

McCaul’s 2017 Border Security for America Act echoes. Authorize National Guard for wall-building. Biometric exit systems. 5,000 more border agents. Democrats blocked it. Now he pushes HR 2—Secure the Border Act. Reinstate “Remain in Mexico.” End “asylum fraud.” The House passed it. The Senate ignores. He fumes. “Not partisan. National security.” The border stays broken. His solutions stay shelved .

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Trump briefly pause farm raids?

Pressure from agriculture and hospitality leaders. They warned of economic collapse—crops unpicked, hotels unmanned. Trump acknowledged “ripping longtime workers from jobs” in a Truth Social post .

Who is exempt from raids?

No one. DHS reversed exemptions. Tricia McLaughlin stated: “No safe spaces for industries harboring criminals.” Criminals are prioritized, but all undocumented workers risk arrest .

What is McCaul’s role in border policy?

He champions hardline laws: mandatory E-Verify, border wall funding, and reinstating “Remain in Mexico.” He blames Biden for “5 million migrant encounters” and fentanyl deaths .

How do raids align with Trump’s 2025 agenda?

Mass deportations. Stephen Miller pushes 3,000 daily arrests. Raids on “sanctuary cities” and labor-intensive industries (farms/hotels) fuel those numbers .