Despite President Donald Trump saying on Thursday that he would” soon” put in place protections for agricultural workers, according to the national union that represents workers, federal immigration authorities have continued to target illegal immigrant laborers under the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation.
Immigrant rights activists in one intended area claimed that nothing had changed in 24 hours, good because the White House has not yet issued a directive. Not long after Trump announced to reporters at the White House that he planned to take action to prevent immigration and customs enforcement and federal authorities from arresting laborers.
The United Farm Workers, a work union for labourers in the United States, reported on reports from witnesses in the planting region of Central California that Customs and Border Protection officials were pursuing workers on Friday.
Border Patrol is continuing its attacks on land workers in Ventura County, particularly Moorpark and Oxnard, according to UFW in a blog to X Friday. Agents” circle like fish,” the agent said. Farmers in areas with more exercise should keep an eye on each other and taking precautions to keep healthy. Review what you discover to us.
Then: In Ventura County, particularly Moorpark and Oxnard, the Border Patrol is still conducting attacks on farm laborers.
Officials are circling like fish. Farmers in areas with more exercise should keep an eye on each other and taking precautions to keep healthy. Review what you discover to us. photograph. twitter.com/j9N4Da3aoF
— United Farm Workers ( @UFWupdates ) June 13, 2025
According to requests for comment, neither CBP nor ICE responded to questions about whether they had been instructed to stop harassing laborers.
In a number of Californian communities, UFW discovered national authorities earlier this week that were attempting to deport illegal immigrant workers. One such picture, which the UFW shared on X, featured two national police officers posing in natural CBP clothing pursuing an immigrant through a field.
Who poses the greatest threat?
The farmworker or the fugitives who are pursuing us? photograph. twitter.com/z5ppn54fOx— United Farm Workers ( @UFWupdates ) June 11, 2025
We are aware of numerous governmental emigration” protection” activities involving farm workers in a variety of areas of California, including those in Ventura, Kern, and Tulare regions, according to UFW, which was released in a media release on Tuesday. Any national activities intended to terrify and unite farm worker areas constitute an assault on Californians and a waste of resources. Public health is in danger from discriminatory raids and turbulent washes.
The White House immediately received criticism for threatening to employ expat staff.
The Golden State’s elected representatives received the majority of the criticism. Sens. ICE targeting workers on the job site was jointly decried by Alex Padilla (D-CA ) and Adam Schiff (D-CA ).
The senators ‘ speech this month stated that” we are deeply alarmed by the most recent actions from the Trump Administration that target employees at agricultural areas, packinghouses, and other features from the Central Coast to the Central Valley.” Without the individuals who endure the severe conditions like intense heat, cold climate, or pouring rain, feeding the country would be difficult, and food would be much more expensive for British families. California is the largest agricultural state in the world.
Nearly half of agricultural laborers, or 283, 000, are undocumented, according to the Center for Migration Studies in New York, and that’s 86 % of foreigners employed in the United States.
Gov. ICE’s assertion that farmworkers without legal residency in the United States was being targeted by Gavin Newsom (D-CA ) was quickly refuted.
Turns out, pursuing hard-working people through ranches and farms and snatching women and children off the streets is not nice policy, Newsom wrote in a blog to X on Thursday shortly after Trump announced the White House was working to put safeguards in place for that specific people.
In response to the criticism, the White House announced that it would reverse the enlargement and implement safeguards for those particular workers.
Trump said on Thursday at the White House,” We’re going to include an order on that very soon, I think.” We can’t do that to our producers, and that includes our leisure time. Resorts. On that, we’ll need to make a lot of common sense.”
Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social that “our excellent farmers and citizens in the hotel and leisure industry have been complaining that our very violent immigration scheme has taken away from them, with those careers being nearly impossible to replace.
We must protect our farmers, but we also need to expel the killers from the United States. Changes are about to occur! Trump stated in the post.
The continued raids against immigrants on Friday, according to the UFW, suggested that Trump was not really running the show, or that he was lying.
” Clearly, we must ask: Who is actually in charge of the proceedings?” Trump claims that he doesn’t want federal agencies to pursue farm workers, but that’s exactly what is happening, according to a post to X Thursday evening. If he really is in charge, he could establish that by ordering ICE and Border Patrol to “STOP THE RAIDS.”
According to the Washington Post, several officials with knowledge of the administration’s immigration plans reported that they had not seen any progress with the promised policy changes.
The White House is in a bind as a result of the opposition to targeting farmworkers. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller just stated that ICE should be detaining 3, 000 illegal immigrants every day, far beyond the roughly 1,500 arrests the agency has made in recent weeks.
Plainclothes ICE officers in some cities, including New York City, chose to appear in immigration courthouses and detain people as they entered court because it made it simple to nab people at particular times and locations.
This week, ICE began making arrests at California’s farmland job sites.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said it is acting in accordance with the White House’s instructions when asked if federal law enforcement would continue to pursue illegal immigrants working on farms.
According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin,” We will continue to work on the President’s orders and keep working to remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from America’s streets.”
Trump will address both issues, according to White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, who told the Washington Examiner on Friday afternoon, but she did not specify when or how.
By working to enact fairer trade agreements and reduce bureaucracy,” President Trump has always stood up for our farmers, who were a major part of his victory in November,” Kelly said in a statement. While adhering to his pledge to impose our immigration laws and stop the millions of unvetted illegal immigrants who flooded into the United States under [former President ] Joe Biden, he will continue to boost exports and strengthen our agricultural industry.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL ) and other Republicans are looking into permanent ways to safeguard farmworkers who are illegal immigrants.
REPUBLICANS USE ICE TO PRIORITIZE ARRESTING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
President Trump has acknowledged what so many of us are already aware of: long-time employees are being cheated out of their jobs. Many of them have established their lives here. The impact is felt on our farms, hotels, and construction sites, according to Salazar in a statement. Congress needs to take action to find a solution.
By the end of June, Salazar has agreed to co-introduce a” revolutionary “bill to fix the immigration system with Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX ).
