President Donald Trump said his administration is crafting a temporary pass for immigrant farmworkers that would let them pay taxes and work legally under the supervision of farmers, demonstrating reasonable flexibility in immigration enforcement policy, NBC News reported.
Trump told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that the administration is "working on it right now" to create "some kind of a temporary pass where people pay taxes, where the farmer can have a little control, as opposed to you walk in and take everybody away."
Trump said ICE agents have been removing "people that have been working there for 15 and 20 years, who are good, who possibly came in incorrectly," hurting farmers who rely on experienced labor.
"What we're going to do is we're going to do something for farmers, where we can let the farmer sort of be in charge. The farmer knows. He's not going to hire a murderer," he said.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson reiterated that "worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security, and economic stability" and that "there will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE's efforts."
The statement echoed remarks issued earlier this month after the White House paused — then resumed — raids in the agriculture, restaurant, and hotel industries.
Trump first signaled a shift on June 12, posting on Truth Social that farmers and hotel and leisure businesses reported losing "very good, longtime workers" to immigration enforcement, calling the jobs "almost impossible to replace" and vowing "changes are coming."
NBC News reported that ICE briefly halted worksite arrests in those sectors before restarting m days later.
The president also proposed allowing undocumented farm and hotel workers to leave the U.S. and return legally, as well as improving the H-2A and H-2B guest-worker programs. An administration official told NBC News that Trump wants to expand those visa schemes to ensure a reliable seasonal workforce.
On June 4, Trump issued a proclamation restricting entry from 19 countries in Africa and the Middle East for national security reasons, and officials are reportedly considering adding 36 more nations to the ban.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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