Everyone’s nervous’ — US farmers gather in San Antonio ahead of mass deportations
SAN ANTONIO — As President Trump’s mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants gains momentum, a pressing question arises: How will this affect American farms? Farmers are expressing their concerns, seeking answers amidst uncertainty.
During the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in San Antonio this weekend, Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall conveyed the prevailing sentiment regarding deportations and agricultural labor. “Everyone’s nervous,” Duvall remarked. “What makes us most nervous is we don’t know what steps the full deportation plan has in it.”
Duvall mentioned hearing from some farmers about migrant workers failing to show up, though he has not received reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting raids in agricultural settings. “We’re hearing some concern. It’s not a real high level yet,” he noted. “Most of it is just out of people being fearful to show up for work.”
In contrast, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller expressed a lack of concern. He stated that modern farms operate with less reliance on migrant labor. “We used to use a lot of illegal labor, but we really don’t anymore,” said Miller. “We’ve gotten into ‘Agriculture 3.0,’ which is technology-driven, leading to advancements like self-milking cows and autonomous tractors. We can mechanically harvest almost all crops now, including vegetables.”
However, farmer Brent Hollard from northern Illinois voiced his concern over the potential reduction in farm labor. “Whether it’s a row crop farm, specialty, or livestock operation like mine, it’s increasingly challenging to find help. We do have some farm labor that we use,” Hollard expressed.
Roy Coffer, a farmer from Oregon, shared his perspective, indicating that he wasn’t overly concerned since the President has indicated a focus on deporting criminal immigrants. “We expect the criminal and really bad people to be deported but the hard-working folks probably should be okay,” Coffer said.
Despite assurances from White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan regarding ICE’s focus on criminal migrants and not conducting mass workplace raids, there are reports that President Trump instructed ICE to ramp up arrests, potentially including undocumented immigrants who haven’t committed crimes. This has led immigrant communities to react with apprehension.
“We are already seeing people not showing up for work. They’re not sending their children to school,” stated Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. She emphasized that aggressive immigration enforcement could have extensive repercussions across multiple economic sectors, noting, “Unauthorized immigrants make up a significant part of the workforce. If many are suddenly deported or too fearful to work, it will genuinely impact economic output, including food availability.”
Duvall echoed these concerns, highlighting that the loss of migrant labor could affect food costs and supply, something that consumers are likely to notice. “Especially after COVID, the public is more attuned to food availability from farm to fork,” he said. “This heightened interest will pressure Congress, underscoring that our food system depends on a stable workforce.”
Texas Senator John Cornyn suggested that a renewed guest worker program, reminiscent of the Bracero Program, could be a solution. “There’s no reason why that couldn’t work again. Many migrants wish to come seasonally, work, and then return to their families with their earnings,” Cornyn noted. However, this potential program would require congressional approval, and the Farm Bureau is currently prioritizing the passage of a new farm bill and a tax bill.
As farmers continue to grapple with the uncertainty surrounding migrant labor, they are left pondering how to maintain their agricultural operations in the face of impending changes.
