At a campaign-style rally in Iowa, President Donald Trump unveiled a controversial immigration proposal that would allow farmers to vouch for undocumented farmworkers. This will offer them a potential pathway to remain in the United States.
Speaking Thursday night at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Trump said the initiative would be launched in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security. Legislative efforts to codify the measure are currently underway. The announcement was part of Trump’s appearance to kick off a yearlong celebration marking America’s 250th anniversary.
“You know, they’ve had people working for them for years. And we’re going to do something … we’re going to sort of put the farmers in charge,” Trump told the crowd, according to Fox News. “If a farmer has been with one of these people that worked so hard – they bend over all day, we don’t have too many people that can do that, but they work very hard, and they know him very well, and some of the farmers are literally, you know, they cry when they see this happen – if a farmer is willing to vouch for these people, in some way, Kristie, I think we’re going to have to just say that’s going to be good, right?”
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Positioning farmers as gatekeepers for immigration relief marks a notable shift in Trump’s approach to border security, which has traditionally emphasized strict enforcement. The former president stressed that his goal was not to harm American agriculture in the name of tough immigration policy.
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“We don’t want to do [border security] where we take all of the workers off the farms,” Trump said. “We want the farms to do great.”
Iowa, which ranks as the second-largest agricultural exporter in the U.S. according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, plays a crucial role in the nation’s farming economy. Trump cited anecdotal reports of longtime farmhands being abruptly deported despite years of labor in the industry.
He recalled hearing stories of migrant workers “thrown out pretty viciously” after as many as 15 years on the job. “We can’t do that,” he said. “We got to work with the farmers and people that have hotels and leisure properties.”
Earlier in the week, Trump had floated the possibility of extending similar protections to workers in the hospitality industry, hinting that the idea could grow beyond the agricultural sector.
But even before Thursday’s official announcement, Trump’s proposal ignited backlash from some on the right, who accused him of selectively relaxing immigration enforcement in favor of business interests.
“So, if I’m to understand this correctly, we should look the other way regarding illegal immigration as long as it’s in the construction, hotel, or restaurant industries? This is far beyond disappointing, it’s infuriating,” wrote California Republican state Sen. Melissa Melendez on X.
Anticipating such pushback, President Donald Trump asked the crowd whether “serious radical-right people” in the GOP would grasp the logic of his plan.
The U.S. president emphasized that accountability would rest squarely with those who vouch for undocumented workers.
“If the farmers don’t do a good job, we’ll throw them the hell out of the country. We’ll let the guys – we’ll let the illegals stay, and we’ll throw the farmers the hell out,” he said. “Okay, get ready, farmer, I’m telling you.”
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