President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Rollins explained this week that there will be no amnesty for farm workers. That appears to include hotel workers since the President said there will be no amnesty for anyone.
He is looking at a guest worker program for those workers who go home and return on a guest visa.
According to the Department of Agriculture, from 2020 to 2022, 42 percent of crop farmworkers were in the country illegally and did not hold work authorization. Those people were located primarily in California, whereas the 32 percent who were U.S.-born workers were concentrated in the Midwest. Seven percent of crop farmworkers were immigrants who had obtained U.S. citizenship, and 19 percent were authorized immigrants, largely permanent residents and green card holders.
But on Tuesday, members of the Trump administration promised that, while the deportation focus for now remains on those who have committed other crimes on top of being in the country illegally, the ultimate goal is for a “100 percent American workforce,” as Rollins said at a press conference just before the cabinet meeting.
“There’s been a lot of noise in the last few days and a lot of questions about where the president stands and his vision for farm labor. The first thing I’ll say is, the president has been unequivocal that there will be no amnesty, and I think that’s very, very important. I and the rest of our cabinet certainly support that, effectuate that, and make sure that happens every single day,” Rollins stated.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “There is NO Amnesty. We are getting rid of criminals. We are not talking amnesty.”
pic.twitter.com/0Ji8kEhjrT— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 8, 2025
HOW IT WORKS
Bill Mitchell explained how it would work. The employer must vouch for the person and the person must leave the country and return legally on a guest-worker visa. They would no longer be illegal.
TRUMP’S GUEST WORKER PLAN IS NOT ABOUT AMNESTY OR EMPLOYING ILLEGALS:
To qualify you must be vouched for by your employer, you leave the country then return legally on a guest-worker visa. No one is employing illegals! Once they return they are no longer illegal. pic.twitter.com/wTcOT23GK2
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) July 8, 2025
In the’70’s I lived where tomatoes for canning were grown, and hand picked. The workers were Mexican nationals, family groups. They were good people, very religious and family orientated. They lived very well in Medico for 8 months and worked hard in the USA 4 months. It worked well. Famers and laborers had good relations.
Neither side was greedy. When greedy agitators became involved the farmers were forced into growing machine pickable tomatoes and within a few years the canneries closed and both sides lost, but mostly the Mexican laborers. During those years labour greed nearly ruined the auto industry. Look deeper for causes.