President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration policy has intensified the implementation of massive immigration raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE), with alarming consequences for the U.S. economy and job stability.
Since the beginning of 2025, these actions have led to abrupt layoffs, partial closures of key industries and a generalized climate of fear among millions of Hispanic workers, even those with regular immigration status.
Agriculture paralyzed
One of the sectors most affected by the immigration raids has been agriculture.
In California, Texas and Kansas, farms, dairies and meatpackers have reported losses of up to 60% of their workforce following ICE raids.
Matt Teagarden, leader of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association, warned, “There is no immediate replacement for this labor force. Business grinds to a halt in a matter of hours.”
According to Politico, the shortage of workers is already causing delays in harvests, rising food prices and shortages in supermarkets across the country.
The problem is not only rural: industries such as construction and hospitality are also experiencing a slowdown.
Large companies under federal pressure
Corporations such as Nestlé, Walmart, Disney and Amazon have been forced to lay off hundreds of workers following federal audits.
In suburbs such as Elgin and Bensenville (Illinois), more than 600 Hispanic employees were removed from their jobs at Nestlé plants.
Some were more than 15 years old.
According to reports by Wired and the SEC, more than 40 major companies have warned of business continuity risks if deportations continue at the current pace.
Fear of federal sanctions has led many employers to reduce their hiring in migrant communities, deepening the labor crisis.
Economic growth in decline
Buzzy
The Dallas Fed warned that Trump’s policies could reduce GDP growth to just 1.5% in 2025, down from 3% in the previous two years.
The combination of labor shortages and slowing consumption among Hispanic families has had a ripple effect on multiple economic sectors.
Experts warn that this situation could replicate the crisis of the 1940s, when the U.S. was forced to create the Bracero Program to make up for the lack of agricultural workers.
“We have two options: import workers or import food,” Teagarden said, highlighting the lack of a comprehensive immigration policy.
An uncertain outlook for millions
Immigration raids have struck fear into entire households.
Many legal workers choose not to go to their jobs because of the risk that their undocumented family members will be detained.
Activists, such as Stuart Anderson of the National Foundation for American Policy, charge that current policies are a “weapon of mass destruction” against those who kept the country standing during the pandemic.
The economy grows when its workers grow
Stuart Anderson
Anderson urged the administration to stop the escalation and open the debate on immigration reform that protects both the economy and the human rights of migrants.
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