Good news for farming and hospitality workers: Bad news for Stephen Miller and other immigration hardliners

U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pause most immigration raids targeting farming and hospitality workers has left many pleasantly surprised, and others extremely disappointed. Although the U-turn hasn’t caught everyone off guard.

Trump is believed to have given in to intensive lobbying by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who conveyed to him the growing sense of worry among farmers and agriculture groups.

Farm workers threaten boycott

Federal agents had been targeting farms in their search for undocumented immigrants to arrest and deport. According to the Agriculture Department, it is estimated that 40% of crop workers in the United States aren’t legally allowed to work in the country. Famers have regularly spoken of the difficulty of finding Americans to do farm work.

As a result of the raids, farm employees had threatened to boycott their jobs, which would have had huge consequences for the agriculture industry. A key factor which persuaded the president to pause the raids following his discussion with Rollins.

Why restaurant sector employees were saved

It is believed some of Trump’s most influential donors urged the Republican to also protect the restaurant sector in a similar way to prevent it from collapsing. The 79-year-old has, of course, close links to that particular industry as the owner of luxury hotels.

An email sent to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) instructed all agents to “hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels,” as reported by the New York Times.

That, however, may have ended up in some spam folders, with reports emerging the following day that farm workers in fields to the north of Los Angeles had been rounded up.

Among those most disappointed by Trump’s move is Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff. Miller has been one of the biggest advocates of a hardline approach, wanting all illegal immigrants pushed out of the country bar none.

Trump U-turn “entirely predictable”

But some people, including Wayne Cornelius, a professor emeritus at the University of California in San Diego, saw Trump’s change of heart coming: “It’s entirely predictable that Trump would backpedal on enforcement in the sectors he cares about - hospitality, where his own businesses operate, and agriculture, where his voters are over represented”.

Trump has a delicate balance to strike between his own beliefs on how to go about deportations, all the while maintaining political support. Farmers are a key base of the president’s support, and he has supported them, not for the first time.

“Go after real criminals” is the main view from agricultural associations, mostly made up of Republicans, in different parts of the country. Numerous voiced their concerns to their Senate and congressional offices, which appears to have paid off.

For now, at least.

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