During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, President Donald Trump proposed that undocumented individuals working in agriculture and hospitality could exit the country and re-enter as legal workers if their employers provided support for them.
Trump emphasized the necessity of supporting “our farmers, the hotels and, you know, the various places where they tend to need people,” while speaking to reporters.
“So a farmer will come in with a letter about certain individuals, stating they’re exceptional workers. We’ll ease the process a bit for them, and ultimately bring them back in. They’ll leave and return as legal workers,” he said.
It was unclear what he meant by “ease the process a bit for them.” The administration has been allocating resources towards arresting, detaining, and deporting undocumented immigrants to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to initiate unprecedented mass deportations from the U.S.
Trump mentioned that the administration will collaborate with individuals who “go out… in a respectful manner.”
“We’re going to engage with them from the very start to help them return legally. This gives them real incentive. Otherwise, they might never come back. If they wait too long, which is likely to be around 60 days, they won’t be permitted to return,” he stated.
In response to an NBC News inquiry for further details, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the Trump administration “is dedicated to fulfilling the mandate from the American people that President Trump received, employing a comprehensive approach to secure our borders, enforce immigration laws, deport criminal migrants, and put America First.”
The U.S. has programs that permit immigrants to enter the country for work; however, employers frequently express challenges in utilizing them. Advocates for farmworkers and immigrants have called for improved regulation of these programs to prevent the exploitation and mistreatment of workers, as well as to ensure they are not subjected to poor living and working conditions.
A White House official informed NBC News that Trump aims to enhance the H-2A program, which allows agricultural employers to hire temporary and seasonal workers, as well as the H-2B program for hiring temporary workers in other sectors, such as hospitality and tourism. Trump has utilized the H-2B program.
Trump made his comments following statements from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding self-deportation and a policy mandating individuals here illegally to register with the Department of Homeland Security via an application dubbed “CBP Home” or face legal repercussions. A federal judge recently permitted the registration requirement to proceed.
Approximately 40% of crop farmworkers in the U.S. are undocumented, according to the Agriculture Department. In hospitality, around 1.1 million undocumented workers — representing about 7.6% of the workforce — were active in the sector in 2023, based on an analysis by the American Immigration Council, an advocacy group focused on immigration.
The administration is estimated to have deported nearly 300 individuals last month, primarily from Venezuela, to a large prison in El Salvador. Trump has labeled the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as an “alien enemy” and invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1789, a wartime statute, to deport those labeled as gang members by immigration officials—allegations that some relatives of the deported contest.
Immigration officers have also been apprehending individuals at their homes, schools, and universities when they arrive for immigration check-ins or during traffic stops. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in collaboration with Texas officials, made several arrests in a predominantly Latino Texas community in February, detaining individuals as they traveled to work. ICE later stated that some had criminal records.
Trump has faced pressure from industries reliant on undocumented labor. The pandemic highlighted that many essential workers were Latino, and a significant number were undocumented or not citizens.
American farmers are also raising concerns about the impact of Trump’s tariff policies and cuts to federally funded programs like school lunches and food banks on their economic viability.
In March, business owners and leaders converged in Washington, engaging with members of Congress as part of the American Business Immigration Coalition’s “Secure the Workforce” campaign, which aims to maintain the influx of immigrant workers into the United States. The initiative advocates for legislation that includes work permits for immigrant laborers.
“We are witnessing President Trump beginning negotiations on what a Trump-focused immigration policy might entail,” commented Artemio Muniz, an attorney who hires workers through his manufacturing business and participated in the coalition’s rally and meetings. He was not speaking on behalf of the American Business Immigration Coalition.
He expressed that he and fellow supporters believe Trump has secured the border and that “we now want to secure the undocumented workforce because losing them would lead to elevated costs. I appreciate Trump’s willingness to start this conversation.”
