The Trump administration has directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels amid concerns that the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration is hurting key industries, two sources familiar with the abrupt policy change told CBS News.
The pause on worksite immigration enforcement operations applies to the agricultural, hospitality and restaurant industries, which rely in large part on labor from immigrants, many of whom are in the U.S. unlawfully, the sources said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal actions.
The scaling back of some ICE operations reflects increased concern among industry leaders that the Trump administration’s aggressive and government-wide immigration crackdown was hindering their businesses and the broader U.S. economy by spooking their workforce.
It also marks a significant pivot for the Trump administration, which has vowed to deport millions of immigrants living in the country without legal status, regardless of whether they have criminal histories. And it comes amid a vast expansion in immigration arrests across the U.S. that has triggered protests against ICE activity in major American cities, including Los Angeles, where Mr. Trump has deployed the National Guardsmen and U.S. Marines in response to instances of violence.
Asked about the catalyst for the sudden decision to limit ICE enforcement, one of the sources said the president was not aware of the scale of the agency’s operations.
“When it hit him, he pulled it back,” the source said.
Asked about the move, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, “We will follow the President’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets.”
The New York Times first reported the move.
Mr. Trump came into office in January promising to launch the largest deportation effort in U.S. history. His administration quickly reversed limits on ICE operations put in place by previous administrations and moved to revoke the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants, greatly expanding the pool of those at risk of being arrested and deported.
In recent weeks, ICE arrests have increased sharply, with the agency adopting more aggressive tactics, including efforts to arrest migrants and asylum-seekers attending their court hearings and check-in appointments.
So far in June, ICE has averaged more than 1,300 arrests each day, a more than 100% increase from President Trump’s first 100 days in office, when the agency recorded a 660 daily arrest rate, according to internal government data obtained by CBS News. On Saturday, ICE was holding more than 56,000 individuals in detention facilities throughout the country, a record high, the figures show.
While ICE operations have expanded recently, the arrests recorded by the agency remain well below the 3,000 daily arrest rate pushed by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.
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