Raids by federal immigration agents targeting field workers in California and a meat processing plant in Nebraska have some producers on edge, lawmakers said at a House Ag Committee hearing Wednesday. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., cited a statement by the Ventura County Farm Bureau that said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had engaged in illegal racial profiling in raids in his district. In addition to the action in California, ICE raided a meatpacking plant in Omaha. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said the raid involved “stolen identities.”
In the statement released Tuesday, the farm bureau said, “The conduct of ICE this morning, marked by racial profiling, intimidation and attempts to enter private property without judicial authorization, constitutes an unacceptable escalation. This approach undermines constitutional rights and directly threatens the integrity of California’s agricultural economy.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said during the hearing she is working with Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the issue but added it’s ultimately up to Congress to change the law. President Trump indicated in April and again this week that producers employing undocumented immigrants need flexibility to continue to do so, but no specifics have been provided.