The Trump administration has instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to temporarily halt workplace raids targeting employees in the agriculture, hotel, and restaurant sectors, NewsNation confirmed Thursday. The directive was issued in a message sent by senior ICE official Tatum King to regional leaders, stating, “Effective today, please hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels,” according to a report first published by the New York Times.
This shift in enforcement priorities comes just days after President Trump hinted at upcoming changes to immigration policy in a Truth Social post. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed to NewsNation that the pause reflects a broader realignment of deportation strategy.
In his post, Trump acknowledged growing concerns from business leaders in key industries affected by immigration enforcement. “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 wrote Thursday. “This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”
DHS officials have echoed the president’s message, saying they intend to focus resources on removing individuals with serious criminal records while easing pressure on sectors struggling to fill labor shortages. “We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
The change in enforcement priorities signals a recalibration of Trump’s immigration strategy as the administration attempts to balance its law-and-order rhetoric with the economic needs of industries heavily reliant on undocumented labor.