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.“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.
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