Mass Deportations Are Gutting Local Economies

From farm fields in California to meatpacking plants in Iowa, Trump’s immigration raids are leaving businesses without workers and families too afraid to show up.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s expanding mass deportation operations are sending shockwaves through local economies across the country, according to a new report from the American Immigration Council.

Seven months into President Trump’s term, federal immigration enforcement has ramped up worksite raids, targeting industries from agriculture and construction to hospitality and food service. Instead of focusing on “the worst of the worst,” the administration has swept up delivery drivers, street vendors, farmworkers, and meatpackers. The result, researchers warn, is a labor disruption with far-reaching consequences.