The Immigration Crackdown Is Full of Economic Contradictions
Like it or not, parts of the US economy depend on undocumented and other low-wage immigrant workers. The system has evolved to assume they would always be here, especially in areas such as agriculture, hospitality and construction. You can't strip them of their status, deport them or scare them into the shadows without unleashing a wave of complications. It's no wonder that President Donald Trump's xenophobic immigration policy is suddenly dotted with holes and internal contradictions.
While he continues to advertise the 'largest Mass Deportation Program in History,' Trump is now also calling for carve-outs for key industries and political constituencies. 'Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,' he wrote Thursday on Truth Social. According to a New York Times report Saturday, senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official Tatum King sent an email the same day to regional leaders directing them to 'hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels.'
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