Trump suggests farmers may get to keep undocumented workers after all

In a week where his administration has paused, and then unpaused, immigration raids on farms and agricultural businesses, President Trump indicated on Friday that he would support a system where farms could continue to employ undocumented workers so long as they took "responsibility" for those they hired.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters Friday.

Trump paused immigration raids at farms, restaurants, and hotels last week after authorities apparently began ramping up enforcement actions at those locations. The Washington Post then reported Monday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told its staff to resume raids, a move border czar Tom Homan confirmed yesterday. 

It was not clear what such a system of responsibility might look like.

In the meantime, the changing guidance has left many workers feeling uneasy, with some failing to show up to job sites for fear of being arrested and subject to deportation proceedings. 

The raids have also drawn pushback from farm, hotel, and restaurant owners, some of whom have asked the administration to exempt their businesses from the raids. Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture, was among the people close to Trump who urged him to change course.

Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s closest advisors, has put DHS and its subsidiary agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under significant pressure to step up the number of arrests it carries out to 3,000 a day.

Trump reiterated that he wanted to focus on deporting those with a criminal record, and that he and Miller were on the same page.

“I never want to hurt our farmers. Our farmers are great people. They keep us happy and healthy and fat,” he said.