‘It’s been chaotic’: Trump’s immigration crackdown prompts worries from industry groups
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
Sat, August 8, 2026
Masked ICE agents stands guard outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, during a protest against the transfer of detainees on May 26. - Andres Kudacki/AP
Industry groups ranging from construction to agriculture are raising concerns with the Trump administration over its ongoing immigration crackdown, arguing it is undercutting President Donald Trump's agenda and weakening the economy, according to multiple groups who spoke with CNN and sources close to the White House.
Worker shortages have been a years-long problem for multiple industries, but the recent abrupt push to end deportation protections for 1.3 million people who had been legally working in the US and the aggressive immigration enforcement push nationwide are exacerbating an already challenging issue, industry representatives say.
Those industry groups — which are generally supportive of other parts of Trump's economic agenda — are taking their immigration concerns directly to the administration, including the departments of Homeland Security, Labor, and Agriculture, as well as the White House.
Within the administration, the tug between industry concerns and immigration enforcement has prompted internal disagreements over how to pursue other types of enforcement, like at worksites, according to three sources familiar with the ongoing debate. One source close to the White House called the back and forth and consistent influence of lobbying on decisions "a bit manic."
Caught in the middle is Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who is already under fire from some corners of the president's base for appearing too soft on immigration.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin listens during a cabinet meeting at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, on July 31. - Jacquelyn Martin/AP
"A workforce that's an illegal workforce only grows illegal activity. It doesn't grow the economy in the long term. It's a short-term solution, but it's going to be long term problems," Mullin said at the National Governors Association meeting last week, citing conversations with labor and industry groups to find solutions.
His remarks at the gathering, where he also called for changes to employment visa programs to address worker shortages, sparked fierce pushback from influential MAGA voices. "I am so fed up with Markwayne Mullin," far-right Trump ally Laura Loomer wrote on X.
Hours after the event, Mullin posted on X: "NO amnesty for illegal aliens. Ever. We are a nation of laws. If you are illegally present in the United States of America—you will be detained and deported. Period."
But the episode underscored the delicate balance for Trump of pressing ahead with mass deportations — including, for example, construction workers — while trying to fulfill other promises like lowering housing prices.
"He ran on creating more housing supply," said Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, one of the country's largest trade organizations. "These two things might be working against each other at the moment. But we continue to make our case."
Trump officials haven't offered any assurances in return, Tobin said, other than a commitment to immigration enforcement.
Asked by CNN to respond, a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement: "If people want to come to our country to work, they need to do that by coming here the legal way. The assertion that the only way we can support industries is by allowing unvetted illegal aliens and foreigners to remain in the country is grossly false and lazy."
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said, "There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force," adding that "Trump will continue growing our economy, creating opportunity for American workers, and ensuring all sectors have the legal workforce they need to be successful."
CNN also reached out to the departments of Labor and Agriculture for comment.
The impact of ending TPS
Over the last week, immigration enforcement has ramped up against people who had a form of humanitarian relief known as Temporary Protected Status, which allows beneficiaries to legally live and work in the United States, marking the latest in a string of moves that directly impact employers.
"The TPS push has been really big," said Jennie Murray, president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum. "That's really unsettling for business and the economy."
Haitians, for example, tend to be concentrated in industries such as elder care and manufacturing, while Salvadorans at risk of losing TPS are more likely to work in construction.
Murray stressed that employers want to work with the administration and comply with its demands but also can't have their workforce decimated overnight without a plan.
Immigration hardliners argue that the American workforce should be prioritized — which industry groups largely echo, with the caveat it takes time to build toward that — and that there needs to be a larger crackdown on employers through worksite enforcement.
"I'm not naïve enough to believe that it would be politically and logistically possible to raid every factory and farm in the United States in the next few weeks and deport everyone that's there," said Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. "But worksite enforcement has to be part of the overall strategy for it to be successful."
It can take months, if not years, to prepare for a worksite operation, which is often based on an ongoing criminal investigation. ICE Homeland Security Investigations will generally serve notice of intent to audit a company's immigration paperwork; perform that audit; and, if issues arise, kick off a criminal investigation.
An agent passes meat being prepared during a raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a Glenn Valley Foods meat production plant in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 10, 2025 in a still image taken from a video. - US Immigration and Customs Enf/Reuters
White House border czar Tom Homan has publicly said he expects HSI to do more of it.
"It's been made clear they're going to do this," he said at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for reduced immigration.
'Chaotic' for construction industry
Trump pledged to bring down home prices and create more housing. But for more than a year, the nation's homebuilders have told administration officials that their immigration policies keep that from happening.
The residential construction industry is short between 200,000 and 400,000 workers, Tobin said. That comes after decades of underinvestment in skilled trades and technical jobs, all while older workers weren't backfilled by younger Americans. The result: foreign-born workers fill the gaps.
Foreign-born workers made up more than a quarter of the construction workforce in 2024, a record high, according to NAHB data. The share is even higher among certain trades: more than half of drywall and ceiling installers, plasterers, roofers, painters and flooring installers are immigrants.
Trump's immigration agenda wasn't a surprise, Tobin said. But that hasn't stopped builders from pointing out tensions with other policy goals. The cost of building, and ultimately selling, a home depends on land prices, supply chains and materials costs — and having enough labor to keep the job moving.
"The more we squeeze labor, the more we're going to increase home prices," Tobin said.
The construction industry is grappling with multiple immigration enforcement actions, including the expiration of TPS.
"It's been chaotic," Associated Builders and Contractors president and CEO Michael Bellaman told CNN. "When employers have people who have been here a number of years, like a couple decades, and they've been productive, they know them well and want to do right by them, but options are limited."
Homes under construction in Cypress, Texas, on August 3. - Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Tobin and Bellaman said their organizations have raised the issue with the White House, and at Labor and DHS. Homebuilders from across the country also visited Capitol Hill during a recent conference, also visited Capitol Hill during a recent conference, Tobin said. Much of their frustration stems from going days without crews showing up, since they fear their sites will be raided next.
"We hear from our members routinely, and it seems like over the last couple of months, those voices have become louder," Tobin said.
One of the key issues for general contractors is the administration's approach to people who have temporary permissions to live and work in the US, including those who are beneficiaries of TPS or seeking asylum, according to Brian Turmail, vice president of Association & Industry Image at Associated General Contractors of America.
Employers will ensure that their workforce is in status one week and then, the next week, learn that they lost their permissions because they were stripped by the administration, he said.
"All of these enforcement activities are happening at a time where there's at least one segment of the industry going full gas and it's hard to find labor and we don't have a good pipeline to replace the labor that we currently have," Turmail said, citing the demand for data centers.
Republicans divided over solutions
Some Republicans viewed the dramatic drop in unlawful crossings at the US southern border as an opportunity to introduce legislation solving for the workforce challenges faced by agriculture, which has struggled to get access to worker visas for sectors that need labor year around.
In a late July letter to the secretaries of Labor, State, and Homeland Security, GOP lawmakers raised concerns regarding the H-2A agricultural guest worker program, which allows foreign nationals to fill seasonal jobs, and urged action to "address growing processing delays, regulatory imbalances, and structural barriers that are threatening the program's effectiveness for agricultural producers across the United States."
Among the signers was House Committee on Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thompson, a Pennsylvania Republican, who introduced a farm bill that proposes a path to temporary legal status for some undocumented farmworkers.
"Fixing the H-2A program is the missing piece and necessary for broader enforcement to be effective," a House agriculture committee aide told CNN. "We can't be constantly balancing protecting our laws and protecting our food security."
"We don't want there to be a bullseye on agriculture's back. That's the position ag is in right now because they don't have a legal alternative to step in and fill in the void," the aide said.
The bill, however, sparked backlash from immigration hawks in the GOP, including the House Freedom Caucus.
But Trump has previously acknowledged the challenges in the agriculture industry and the administration has tried to make some inroads to extend the program to sectors who have been unable to access H-2A visas, like dairy.
"The biggest thing with dairy and what's unique with dairy is cows have to be milked 365 days a year and multiple shifts during the day… If workers were to disappear, those cows still need to be milked. You have to be able to move the milk. There are animal concerns, there are economic concerns," Trey Forsyth, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at the National Milk Producers Federation.
"It affects access to dairy products, and cost of dairy products flows all the way through the supply chain to consumers" Forysth said.
CNN's Rachel Siegel contributed to this report.
Trump Voter Faces Intense Online Mockery After Admitting ‘Regret’ As Haitian TPS Removal Ruins His Businesses
Favour Adegoke
Mon, August 10, 2026
THE BLAST
Aaron Schwartz - Pool via CNP / MEGAAaron Schwartz - Pool via CNP / MEGA
Key takeaways
The Trump administration officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in America, leading to fears of deportation and impacting businesses like Chef Creole in Miami.
A Donald Trump voter has become the subject of heavy scrutiny after revealing that his restaurant, which serves Haitian cuisine, is suffering due to the president's actions.
In candid remarks made during an interview, the businessman shared that he might have to close down two stores due to the billionaire politician's latest move to cancel TPS protections for Haitian migrants in America.
The comments have led to major mockery of the Donald Trump voter, who also admitted he regrets supporting the president after believing having him in power would be great for businesses.
Trump Voter Says He Is About To Lose His 'Future' In The Hospitality Business
The Trump administration officially stripped Haitians in America of humanitarian protections that allowed them to live and work legally while in the US.
The move was confirmed on August 5, when US District Judge Ana Reyes revealed that her order, which prevented the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from removing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, had lapsed.
This means that now, Haitians in the US are at risk of being arrested and deported back to their home country, with some businesses already being impacted by this reality.
In a recent interview, Wilkinson Sejour, the owner of the Miami restaurant Chef Creole, lamented the move by the Trump administration, stating that it has severely affected his livelihood due to fears that his establishment might become a target for ICE raids.
"The end of TPS for me means that my future in the hospitality business is almost going to be non-existent," Sejour said, per reports.
The chef, who has been in business for over 34 years, with a booming clientele, shared that he had lost his entire management team in seven locations due to the removal of TPS and may be forced to shut down two of his stores, as customers desert the area out of fear.
The Restaurant Owner 'Regrets' Voting For The President
On Sunday, August 2, officers with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement took a man on a scooter into custody right outside Sejour's restaurant in Little Haiti
The owner of the iconic Miami establishment explained that the highly visible arrest instantly triggered panic.
False rumors of an active restaurant raid spread rapidly through the neighborhood, heavily intensifying the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty already gripping the local immigrant community.
When asked what he would say to Trump, whom he admitted to voting for in the 2024 election, Sejour responded by revealing why he voted for the politician, noting that it was due to Trump's business experience.
"He sold to me that he is a businessman and that he would be making business decisions," he stated.
The interviewer then asked Sejour if he "regrets" his vote, to which he responded, "Yes, I do."
The Restaurant Owner Came Under Heavy Scrutiny Online For His Remorseful Remarks
Despite how remorseful Sejour sounded, critics online slammed the businessman for voting for Trump.
Many directly accused him of contributing to the unrest and fear in his community, especially after Trump infamously accused Haitians of eating cats and dogs during his 2024 presidential campaign.
One critic stated, "Typical Trump voter…when it impacts them, then they have concerns. But f-ck everyone else."
"Trump said Haitians were eating the cats and dogs. What was this guy thinking?" another asked in bewilderment.
A third person wrote, "And his dumb -ss is getting exactly what he voted for. And note the regret is only because it affected his business not the Nazi tactics of ICE that has resulted in deaths of innocent people."
"I don't live far from one of his locations; in fact, I was there a few days ago," another critic began. "I have several Haitian friends, and my wife is Haitian. I'm not eating there again. Voting for someone who ended TPS for the very community his restaurant serves isn't something I can look past."
Trump Voter Pleads For Fiancée's Release After ICE Arrest
Chef Sejour is just one of many Trump voters whose lives the politician's actions have negatively impacted since the beginning of his second term as president.
In another development, Texas businessman and lifelong Republican John Gannon shared that he deeply regrets voting for Trump after ICE officers took his fiancée.
The 75-year-old made the confession in an interview with CBS News, sharing that his plans to marry Yasmin Suarez Reyes, 45, had been ruined after her arrest in July while at Houston's international airport.
"I voted for Trump," he admitted. "They are picking up law-abiding citizens. They're destroying families, jobs."
When asked to share what he would say to Trump if given the opportunity, Gannon noted that he would confront the president by asking, "What are you doing?"
He clarified his stance by explaining that while he supports strict law enforcement, the government must distinguish between dangerous individuals and everyday working citizens.
"Go after the criminals," Gannon continued. "We're all for that. But leave the mom and pops and the kids alone. Man, he's destroying families."
The Trump Voter Was Mocked Online For His Comments About His Fiancée's ICE Arrest
Just like Sejour, Gannon has also received his fair share of online mockery for his revelations, with many going as far as scrutinizing his relationship with a much younger woman.
One individual on X wrote, "Another example of a Republican who was happy to vote for a man who promised mass deportations as long as it didn't impact him. He likely dgaf about any of the horrendous ICE-related cases involving thousands of migrants & protesters. Sorry, but he gets no sympathy from me."
A second critic wrote, "Entitlement and privilege ooze from this guy. He thinks he's better than everyone else and should not be affected by the politicians and policies he supported. This is MAGA."
