Crackdowns and Confusion: Why Immigration Enforcement Whiplash Hurts Employers—and How H-2 Visa Programs Offer a Smarter Way Forward

The past two weeks have left many U.S. employers—especially those in agriculture, hospitality, and food service—scrambling to respond to a chaotic and contradictory wave of federal immigration enforcement actions.

After an initial pause in workplace raids that had devastated entire crews on farms and disrupted hotel and restaurant operations, the Department of Homeland Security reversed course. On June 19, a senior DHS official declared there would be “no safe spaces” for industries employing unauthorized workers. That message, while framed as a national security stance, sent shockwaves through the same industries that had just been told they could exhale.

For businesses relying on foreign labor, the result has been confusion, fear, and a deepening sense of instability. Some employers reported ICE agents showing up on farms and removing half the workforce. In other areas, mere rumors of raids have prompted lawfully present workers to stay home rather than risk potential detention.

The ripple effects are being felt everywhere. At a dairy in New Mexico, the workforce dropped from 55 to 20 overnight. At a Washington cherry orchard, a crew that should be 150 strong was reduced to 20—all without a single confirmed ICE sighting. These stories aren’t isolated. They are part of a broader pattern of fear-based disengagement at a time when the U.S. economy can least afford it.

And here's the economic reality: Immigrant workers are not displacing Americans. They are sustaining industries with persistent, well-documented labor shortages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, foreign-born workers make up nearly 40% of the farming, fishing, and forestry workforce and nearly 24% of food preparation and serving jobs. And with unemployment holding steady around 4%, these aren’t jobs American workers are clamoring to fill.

As someone who works daily with employers in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, I see firsthand how lawful temporary visa pathways can and do meet these labor needs while upholding the integrity of U.S. immigration law. H-2 visas aren’t a loophole—they’re a vital economic tool. They offer a structured, compliance-driven way to legally employ foreign workers for jobs that are truly temporary and seasonal in nature.

But those legal pathways don’t function well in a climate of fear and unpredictability. Sudden raids, conflicting enforcement messages, and threats of mass deportation only drive workers—and employers—underground or out of the system entirely. That’s bad for compliance, bad for the economy, and bad for the rule of law.

What’s needed now is alignment between immigration enforcement and economic policy. Employers want to follow the law. But they need predictability, clear standards, and viable legal options for meeting their workforce needs. H-2 programs—when properly supported—can do just that.

President Trump’s acknowledgment on Truth Social that raids were “taking very good, long time workers away” from key industries shows that even the administration recognizes the tension between its enforcement agenda and economic goals. But acknowledgments are not policy. And policy—especially immigration policy—needs to be grounded in reality, not rhetoric.

Enforcement has a role. But it must be strategic, humane, and aligned with the actual workforce needs of our economy. Businesses can’t operate with a target on their back and no clear path forward.

There is a better way. And it starts with strengthening—not sidelining—legal visa programs like H-2A and H-2B.

If you’re an employer trying to navigate this shifting landscape, now is the time to plan ahead, get compliant, and explore legal visa options before uncertainty turns into disruption.