Latest news with #RebeccaShi
CNN
a day ago
- Business
- CNN
ICE workplace raids are taking a toll on America's businesses and workers
In the early morning on Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents chased farmworkers through a field in Oxnard, California. Agents tackled and restrained workers amid rows of produce, as seen in video from CNN affiliate KABC. 'What I fear is that sometimes, out of necessity, we show up wherever there's work,' one farmworker with her face covered told KABC in Spanish. 'With everything that is happening it's a bit difficult for us.' ICE, racing to fulfill President Donald Trump's goal to increase deportations, has increasingly targeted work sites for immigration sweeps in recent weeks. The escalation is creating a chilling effect on the businesses that rely on immigrant labor and the workers themselves, with some staying home out of fear. America's agriculture, construction, health care and hospitality industries are powered by immigrant workers, both legal and undocumented. 'Recent immigration enforcement raids on businesses nationwide are creating serious challenges for local economies, communities, and industries that depend on immigrant labor to operate and prosper,' said Rebecca Shi, the CEO of American Business Immigration Coalition, a group representing employers with immigrants. Undocumented immigrants make up 4% to 5% of the total US workforce, but 15% to 20% or more in industries such as crop production, food processing and construction, according to Goldman Sachs. United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero told CNN that she's been getting calls from concerned farmworkers across California about ICE crackdowns in the state. There are 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 40% of whom the Agriculture Department estimates lack legal status. Despite the threat of deportation, migrant workers often can't afford to stay home, Romero said. 'They're terrified, but they have a family to support. They have a rent to pay, they have children to take to school, buy clothing and everything,' she said. 'They have to tell their children what to do if they don't come home.' Trump appeared to acknowledge Thursday that his immigration policies are straining farmers and businesses. '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,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' But some farm owners worry that the Trump administration's current crackdown on undocumented immigrants will affect the nation's ability to produce food, Romero said. 'I can guarantee you that we're not going to have the workers that we need to do this work in agriculture,' she said. 'The agriculture industry in this country is going to disappear.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters on Thursday that she's already getting reports of people not going to work and store shelves being empty because people in the city are worried about being detained by ICE. Los Angeles' immigrant community is essential to the city's economy, she added. 'There are entire sectors of our economy that will not function if the immigrant community is too afraid to go to work and too afraid to go to school,' Bass said. Mass workplace immigration raids were a priority during Trump's first term, culminating in at least 680 arrests during a 2019 raid on chicken processing plants in Mississippi. The Biden administration ended the practice, saying employers exploited the raids to suppress workers from reporting labor violations. But ICE has stepped up sweeps again in recent weeks on industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers. That includes a local construction company in Exeter, Pennsylvania; construction sites in Brownsville, Texas; and a flood control project in New Orleans. ICE arrested about 40 people in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, two prominent vacation spots in Massachusetts, last month. CNN asked ICE how many raids have been made under Trump's second term. The agency acknowledged CNN's request but did not respond to the question. 'Worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand,' White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview with Semafor on Wednesday. Detaining employees can have a significant impact on small businesses. For example, after authorities took dozens of workers away in buses following a raid at an Omaha meat production plant Tuesday morning, the plant was left running at about 30% capacity. The restaurant industry employs 1 million undocumented workers, or 10% of the total workforce, according to the Center for Migration Studies. It would be difficult for some restaurants to run without undocumented workers. 'The reality is … there clearly are not enough people in the United States who are authorized to work to fill all the available jobs,' said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the not-for-profit group NYC Hospitality Alliance. 'And because of that, you have people that have come to our country for many different reasons that are not authorized to work but find their way into the workforce to meet the needs and demands of United States citizens.' Arrests of migrant workers outside one business have become a flash point for opponents of Trump's immigration crackdown: Home Depot. Day laborers have long gathered outside the parking lots of Home Depot or similar retailers to find work. Home Depot, in particular, is a convenient spot for contractors and homeowners in many communities to approach and hire laborers to paint walls, nail down roofing and complete other manual labor projects. Day laborers are often paid in cash, and many return to these locations every day in hope of getting more work. Immigration agents conducted a sweep Friday outside a Home Depot in Westlake, Los Angeles, setting off days of protests around the city. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, overriding California Governor Gavin Newsom. Home Depot told CNN that it is not notified when immigration officials and law enforcement conduct sweeps and that the company is not involved in the operations. The retail chain has been a target of immigration arrests — and protests — well before last week. In a raid on a Home Depot in Pomona, California, in April, 10 undocumented immigrants were detained, a senior official from the Department of Homeland Security told CNN. That led to a protest outside Home Depot among advocates for day laborers. 'Construction companies, contractors, private homeowners — they have historically gone to the Home Depot to buy their materials and then they come outside and hire a day laborer,' Alexis Teodoro, the worker rights director for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a non-profit that helps day laborers find work and job training, told CNN at the time. 'This is common knowledge and is almost as American as apple pie now.' CNN's Stephanie Elam, Elise Hammond and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story.
CNN
a day ago
- Business
- CNN
ICE workplace raids are taking a toll on America's businesses and workers
In the early morning on Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents chased farmworkers through a field in Oxnard, California. Agents tackled and restrained workers amid rows of produce, as seen in video from CNN affiliate KABC. 'What I fear is that sometimes, out of necessity, we show up wherever there's work,' one farmworker with her face covered told KABC in Spanish. 'With everything that is happening it's a bit difficult for us.' ICE, racing to fulfill President Donald Trump's goal to increase deportations, has increasingly targeted work sites for immigration sweeps in recent weeks. The escalation is creating a chilling effect on the businesses that rely on immigrant labor and the workers themselves, with some staying home out of fear. America's agriculture, construction, health care and hospitality industries are powered by immigrant workers, both legal and undocumented. 'Recent immigration enforcement raids on businesses nationwide are creating serious challenges for local economies, communities, and industries that depend on immigrant labor to operate and prosper,' said Rebecca Shi, the CEO of American Business Immigration Coalition, a group representing employers with immigrants. Undocumented immigrants make up 4% to 5% of the total US workforce, but 15% to 20% or more in industries such as crop production, food processing and construction, according to Goldman Sachs. United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero told CNN that she's been getting calls from concerned farmworkers across California about ICE crackdowns in the state. There are 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 40% of whom the Agriculture Department estimates lack legal status. Despite the threat of deportation, migrant workers often can't afford to stay home, Romero said. 'They're terrified, but they have a family to support. They have a rent to pay, they have children to take to school, buy clothing and everything,' she said. 'They have to tell their children what to do if they don't come home.' Trump appeared to acknowledge Thursday that his immigration policies are straining farmers and businesses. '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,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' But some farm owners worry that the Trump administration's current crackdown on undocumented immigrants will affect the nation's ability to produce food, Romero said. 'I can guarantee you that we're not going to have the workers that we need to do this work in agriculture,' she said. 'The agriculture industry in this country is going to disappear.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters on Thursday that she's already getting reports of people not going to work and store shelves being empty because people in the city are worried about being detained by ICE. Los Angeles' immigrant community is essential to the city's economy, she added. 'There are entire sectors of our economy that will not function if the immigrant community is too afraid to go to work and too afraid to go to school,' Bass said. Mass workplace immigration raids were a priority during Trump's first term, culminating in at least 680 arrests during a 2019 raid on chicken processing plants in Mississippi. The Biden administration ended the practice, saying employers exploited the raids to suppress workers from reporting labor violations. But ICE has stepped up sweeps again in recent weeks on industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers. That includes a local construction company in Exeter, Pennsylvania; construction sites in Brownsville, Texas; and a flood control project in New Orleans. ICE arrested about 40 people in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, two prominent vacation spots in Massachusetts, last month. CNN asked ICE how many raids have been made under Trump's second term. The agency acknowledged CNN's request but did not respond to the question. 'Worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand,' White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview with Semafor on Wednesday. Detaining employees can have a significant impact on small businesses. For example, after authorities took dozens of workers away in buses following a raid at an Omaha meat production plant Tuesday morning, the plant was left running at about 30% capacity. The restaurant industry employs 1 million undocumented workers, or 10% of the total workforce, according to the Center for Migration Studies. It would be difficult for some restaurants to run without undocumented workers. 'The reality is … there clearly are not enough people in the United States who are authorized to work to fill all the available jobs,' said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the not-for-profit group NYC Hospitality Alliance. 'And because of that, you have people that have come to our country for many different reasons that are not authorized to work but find their way into the workforce to meet the needs and demands of United States citizens.' Arrests of migrant workers outside one business have become a flash point for opponents of Trump's immigration crackdown: Home Depot. Day laborers have long gathered outside the parking lots of Home Depot or similar retailers to find work. Home Depot, in particular, is a convenient spot for contractors and homeowners in many communities to approach and hire laborers to paint walls, nail down roofing and complete other manual labor projects. Day laborers are often paid in cash, and many return to these locations every day in hope of getting more work. Immigration agents conducted a sweep Friday outside a Home Depot in Westlake, Los Angeles, setting off days of protests around the city. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, overriding California Governor Gavin Newsom. Home Depot told CNN that it is not notified when immigration officials and law enforcement conduct sweeps and that the company is not involved in the operations. The retail chain has been a target of immigration arrests — and protests — well before last week. In a raid on a Home Depot in Pomona, California, in April, 10 undocumented immigrants were detained, a senior official from the Department of Homeland Security told CNN. That led to a protest outside Home Depot among advocates for day laborers. 'Construction companies, contractors, private homeowners — they have historically gone to the Home Depot to buy their materials and then they come outside and hire a day laborer,' Alexis Teodoro, the worker rights director for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a non-profit that helps day laborers find work and job training, told CNN at the time. 'This is common knowledge and is almost as American as apple pie now.' CNN's Stephanie Elam, Elise Hammond and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story.
CNN
a day ago
- Business
- CNN
ICE workplace raids are taking a toll on America's businesses and workers
In the early morning on Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents chased farmworkers through a field in Oxnard, California. Agents tackled and restrained workers amid rows of produce, as seen in video from CNN affiliate KABC. 'What I fear is that sometimes, out of necessity, we show up wherever there's work,' one farmworker with her face covered told KABC in Spanish. 'With everything that is happening it's a bit difficult for us.' ICE, racing to fulfill President Donald Trump's goal to increase deportations, has increasingly targeted work sites for immigration sweeps in recent weeks. The escalation is creating a chilling effect on the businesses that rely on immigrant labor and the workers themselves, with some staying home out of fear. America's agriculture, construction, health care and hospitality industries are powered by immigrant workers, both legal and undocumented. 'Recent immigration enforcement raids on businesses nationwide are creating serious challenges for local economies, communities, and industries that depend on immigrant labor to operate and prosper,' said Rebecca Shi, the CEO of American Business Immigration Coalition, a group representing employers with immigrants. Undocumented immigrants make up 4% to 5% of the total US workforce, but 15% to 20% or more in industries such as crop production, food processing and construction, according to Goldman Sachs. United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero told CNN that she's been getting calls from concerned farmworkers across California about ICE crackdowns in the state. There are 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 40% of whom the Agriculture Department estimates lack legal status. Despite the threat of deportation, migrant workers often can't afford to stay home, Romero said. 'They're terrified, but they have a family to support. They have a rent to pay, they have children to take to school, buy clothing and everything,' she said. 'They have to tell their children what to do if they don't come home.' Trump appeared to acknowledge Thursday that his immigration policies are straining farmers and businesses. '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,' Trump said on Truth Social. 'We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' But some farm owners worry that the Trump administration's current crackdown on undocumented immigrants will affect the nation's ability to produce food, Romero said. 'I can guarantee you that we're not going to have the workers that we need to do this work in agriculture,' she said. 'The agriculture industry in this country is going to disappear.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters on Thursday that she's already getting reports of people not going to work and store shelves being empty because people in the city are worried about being detained by ICE. Los Angeles' immigrant community is essential to the city's economy, she added. 'There are entire sectors of our economy that will not function if the immigrant community is too afraid to go to work and too afraid to go to school,' Bass said. Mass workplace immigration raids were a priority during Trump's first term, culminating in at least 680 arrests during a 2019 raid on chicken processing plants in Mississippi. The Biden administration ended the practice, saying employers exploited the raids to suppress workers from reporting labor violations. But ICE has stepped up sweeps again in recent weeks on industries that rely heavily on immigrant workers. That includes a local construction company in Exeter, Pennsylvania; construction sites in Brownsville, Texas; and a flood control project in New Orleans. ICE arrested about 40 people in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, two prominent vacation spots in Massachusetts, last month. CNN asked ICE how many raids have been made under Trump's second term. The agency acknowledged CNN's request but did not respond to the question. 'Worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand,' White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview with Semafor on Wednesday. Detaining employees can have a significant impact on small businesses. For example, after authorities took dozens of workers away in buses following a raid at an Omaha meat production plant Tuesday morning, the plant was left running at about 30% capacity. The restaurant industry employs 1 million undocumented workers, or 10% of the total workforce, according to the Center for Migration Studies. It would be difficult for some restaurants to run without undocumented workers. 'The reality is … there clearly are not enough people in the United States who are authorized to work to fill all the available jobs,' said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the not-for-profit group NYC Hospitality Alliance. 'And because of that, you have people that have come to our country for many different reasons that are not authorized to work but find their way into the workforce to meet the needs and demands of United States citizens.' Arrests of migrant workers outside one business have become a flash point for opponents of Trump's immigration crackdown: Home Depot. Day laborers have long gathered outside the parking lots of Home Depot or similar retailers to find work. Home Depot, in particular, is a convenient spot for contractors and homeowners in many communities to approach and hire laborers to paint walls, nail down roofing and complete other manual labor projects. Day laborers are often paid in cash, and many return to these locations every day in hope of getting more work. Immigration agents conducted a sweep Friday outside a Home Depot in Westlake, Los Angeles, setting off days of protests around the city. Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, overriding California Governor Gavin Newsom. Home Depot told CNN that it is not notified when immigration officials and law enforcement conduct sweeps and that the company is not involved in the operations. The retail chain has been a target of immigration arrests — and protests — well before last week. In a raid on a Home Depot in Pomona, California, in April, 10 undocumented immigrants were detained, a senior official from the Department of Homeland Security told CNN. That led to a protest outside Home Depot among advocates for day laborers. 'Construction companies, contractors, private homeowners — they have historically gone to the Home Depot to buy their materials and then they come outside and hire a day laborer,' Alexis Teodoro, the worker rights director for the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a non-profit that helps day laborers find work and job training, told CNN at the time. 'This is common knowledge and is almost as American as apple pie now.' CNN's Stephanie Elam, Elise Hammond and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Horse Racing Industry Urges Action On Immigration Reform To Address Labor Shortages
On Thursday, horse racing leaders gathered in Louisville to highlight the need for immediate action on immigration reform, emphasizing President Trump's recent comments to create a legal process for farm workers and hotel workers.'From hot walkers to exercise riders, groomers, and farriers, skilled immigrant workers are the backbone of the horse racing industry. Their contributions help generate $177 billion for the American economy and are crucial to the Kentucky Derby's success every year, but the immigration system is failing them. We support President Trump's comment about creating a legal process for law-abiding farm workers to contribute and grow the horse racing industry for decades to come,' said ABIC CEO Rebecca Shi. 'Horses can't get on the track without the right workers behind them. Seventy-eight percent of backstretch workers are immigrants; the industry cannot survive without them. We are prepared to work with President Trump and Congress and to be at the table to create a legal process for the farming and equine industries,' said Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association President Dale Romans.'As the largest Thoroughbred horsemen's organization, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association remains committed to prioritizing American workers whenever possible, recognizing that immigrant workers are also essential to our growth. We need lawmakers to prioritize legislation to streamline legal status for this population, and we are eager to partner with the President and Congress,' said National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association CEO Eric Hamelback. 'The Derby is the culmination of months of tireless work and preparation to deliver one of the finest events in the world. We have a real opportunity to make meaningful progress toward commonsense immigration reform that can protect the livelihoods of our horse trainers and our industry at large,' said Oscar Gonzales, Vice Chairman, California Horse Racing Board.'The immigration process is unnecessarily complex and bureaucratic. Federal immigration policy needs to meet the needs of the moment, and the horse racing industry desperately needs skilled workers to ensure its success,' said equine immigration attorney Will Velie.'President Trump's recent comments indicating a desire to create a more streamlined process for agricultural workers is much needed to ensure our industry can thrive. We now call on Congress to prioritize action to not just talk about immigration reform, but actually do something to create meaningful change,' said General Manager of Monterey Mushrooms Joe Stave. Immigrants make up 72% of the workforce behind agriculture's $1.5+ trillion industry. Latinos and immigrants are 78% of Equine's backstretch workers and 70% jockeys. Senator Bennet's 2023 Affordable and Secure Food Act included a path to legal status for farm workers including equine industry as well as modernizing the H2A visa Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) is a bipartisan coalition of 1,700+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 17 mostly red and purple states. ABIC promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with the talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs and citizens.
