Farm workers choose cilantro in a field early in the morning fog in southern California in July 2024.
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A weekly routine call for magnification for the National Council of Agricultural Employers, a trade group, turned into a discussion of fear and advice on immigration officers coming to the farms.
A meeting of 150 residents and business leaders at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, earlier in February focused on the best way to prepare for each raid and organize documents for businesses there, which focus mainly on tourism and hospitality.
And in Washington, DC, workers at a childcare center received a notice that their official documents would be reviewed.
Since winning President Trump’s election, employers across the US have been prepared for him to aim for their jobs as part of large -scale deportation efforts, according to documents obtained from NPR and conversations with business managers, employees and trade groups working in the private sector.
Anxiety and advanced preparation come as Czar told Trump’s border, Tom Homan 60 minutes Prior to the presidential election that the Trump administration would aim for employers relying on workers without legal status. Companies can face large fines and see their interned employees.
Businesses hired about 8.3 million workers without legal status in 2022, according to the latest statistics available from the Pew Research Center – just below 5% of US workers and an increase from three years ago. Agriculture and food production, construction, hospitality and production are the best sectors.
“We have seen this message coming directly from the White House that if one has illegally passed, even if they have zero criminal history, they are at risk of arrest and expulsion,” said Rebecca Shi, CEO of the US Business Immigration Coalition, a non -profit advocacy group.
“Employers are taking this seriously, and they are preparing for these extended implementation measures.”
Derinter’s
Trump in his first administration also prioritized the issue, boasting an increase in I-9 audits to find out if employers were hiring workers with fake or outdated authorization documents.
Anyway criminal investigation, business audits and subsequent arrests are carried out by the Division of Fatherland (HSI) immigration and customs implementation. An Ice spokesman who spoke in the background to speak in general says that the agency has the responsibility to investigate any advice it receives for businesses that hire workers without legal status, contrary to employment laws.
“There is no request to have a signed order to carry out work enforcement operations in response to a reliable feature that Ice HSI has received,” the spokesman said. ICE can visit public areas of a business and inspect the documentation without the authorization of the court, but, instead of consenting a business, there is a need for an order or call to enter non -public areas.
One month in Trump’s second administration, job implementation has begun. This week, ICE officials arrested 16 people from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, including a minor at Gulf Coast Prestress in Mississippi. A Gulf Coast Prestress lawyer, Damian Holcomb, told NPR that the arrested employees were employed through a third -party staff agency that the company says is responsible for verifying employment acceptance.
“We are re -evaluating our agreements with staff partners to provide stronger compliance measures that are moving forward,” a statement sent by Holcomb said.
ICE officers last week too Arrested nine employees at Tupper Lake Pine Mill at the Upstate New York – out of a total of 21 employees.
Nicholas Drouin, director of production operations, said ICE did not order an order in advance and that the company believes all employees are authorized to work in the United States.
“While we have made efforts to contact the detained employees, we have not been able to reach them directly,” Drouin said, adding that they are fully cooperating with the ICE investigation.
To make up loss of work, Drouin and other company executives are now physically assisting to complete any necessary tasks, including in the mill mounting line.
When asked about the situation in the mill, an ICE spokesman said the agency does not discuss law enforcement tactics and, according to ice policy, cannot discuss the following investigations.
The New York fugitive operations team, united by the then director of Ice Caleb Vitlo, conducted target implementation operations in New York City.
Manual/immigration in the US and customs implementation through Getty Images
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Employee training to handle raids
Since the elections, the American Business Immigration Coalition and lawyers and other employers have offered training to prepare managers on whether ICE or other federal law enforcement officials come to their door.
“We’ve only seen a much bigger concern from many of our companies and the clients we work with. Their employees are just very nervous,” Kelli Duethning, a Berry Appleman & Leiden, a legal firm of immigration.
Employers may face large penalties for employment of workers without authorization, but in other cases, workers are placed in removal procedures while employers face minimal or no fine while investigations are dragged.
“The biggest employers or employers who tend to receive the biggest fines are what can afford it,” Duehning said, adding that the employers’ exam consciously hired someone without legal status can take years to trial.
Employees usually have to provide a number of social security or tax identification number, as well as a passport or birth certificate to verify their legal status.
“It is not the duty of the employer to determine the authenticity of the documents being secured,” said Michael Marsi, President of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. “The employer does not call the Social Security Office, he does not call the State Department-they remove the information and they put them on I-9.”
It is estimated that half of plant farm workers lack legal status.
A company may have no way of showing whether a document is lawful-that is, 23 countries require employers to use e-Verify, which allows companies to compare documents for employees to provide registrations held by the Department of Internal Security and Social Security Administration.
Some industries, including agriculture, have long lobbied their Republican-led legislatures and the Congress against mandatory e-interest.
“They have something that has a photo, a scanning image on it, and it seems to be correct. This is where I-9 says here is the responsibility of the employer,” said Rick Howe, president of Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, which is based on an area where most immigrants work in tourism and services sectors.
“We rely on about 40% of our staff in our community [who] are multicultural. We embrace it, ”the Howe added.
Doubled in checking the documents
To prepare for possible audits, a children’s care center in Washington, DC, Otter Learning, this month urged employees to bring their documents for another summary. Washington, DC, does not use e-verify.
“The latest messages and information we received from team members show that some individuals may have falsified their documentation or have not been true about their immigration status,” said Stephanie Creager, a Divisional Vice President of Opeter Learning, in a statement received by NPR.
“This is not a reflection of any employee, but a necessary step to protecting our entire team and the organization,” the announcement continued. Otter lesson did not respond to a request for comment.
Nationwide, 1 of every 5 childcare staff is an immigrant, and the increase in immigration implementation is spreading through the sector.
George Carrillo, CEO of the Hispanic Council of Construction, said that current preparations are somewhat reminiscent of the broader jobs under Obama’s administration.
During his presidency, Barack Obama removed more than 3 million people, partly focusing on labor implementation.
About 13% of the construction industry is made up of workers without legal status-and Obama raids contributed about 18% to the rise in housing prices, according to a 2024 study co-authorized by a Utah University business researcher. Home prices reached a high record last year.
“The lack of workforce in this country is a big deficit now, and it’s a big concern,” Carrillo said. “And we see the disaster in which we are directed.”