(Image Credit: IMAGN) Jamie Norton, left, and Joshua Saunook transport harvested marijuana on the Great Smoky Cannabis Company’s farm in Cherokee, August 8, 2024.
San Diego, California – The brief reprieve for immigrant laborers in agriculture and hospitality evaporated almost as quickly as it was announced. Just four days after President Trump declared a pause on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting those industries, the Department of Homeland Security reversed course, announcing Monday that enforcement actions would resume immediately.
The turnaround has sparked confusion, concern, and a renewed sense of fear among immigrant workers and the industries that rely heavily on them—particularly in states like California, where agriculture and hospitality form the backbone of the economy.
President Trump initially signaled a shift in tone last Thursday via a Truth Social post, citing concerns that his administration’s aggressive immigration policy was hurting American businesses. “Good, long time workers” who were “almost impossible to replace” were being swept up in the crackdown, he noted, hinting at the economic strain on farmers and hoteliers.
In comments to reporters later that day, Trump appeared to extend an olive branch. “They’ve worked for them for 20 years,” he said of undocumented farm workers. “They’re not citizens, but they’ve turned out to be, you know, great. And we’re going to have to do something about that.”
By Friday, ICE reportedly circulated internal guidance to limit raids in those sectors. For a moment, it seemed like a rare softening of a hardline policy.
But that moment was short-lived.
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a stark statement: “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts.” The language marked a return to the administration’s uncompromising stance on immigration enforcement.
California officials were quick to respond. Governor Gavin Newsom took to X to suggest that Trump’s initial pause had been overruled. “Trump got big footed by his own staff,” he posted. Labor leaders also expressed skepticism that the president’s shift had ever been sincere.
Brigette Browning, president of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, said the fear among workers had never subsided. “We are telling people go out as little as possible because you’re not even safe to go to Home Depot,” she said. While large-scale raids on hotels have not been reported in San Diego, the industry—like agriculture—is now once again a target.
For immigrant workers, the policy instability has made daily life feel unpredictable and unsafe. As Browning put it, “There is no safety, even if they’re not coming to their workplaces.”
