CNN
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The Department of Homeland Security reversed course on guidance limiting immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants on Monday, according to a source familiar with the discussions — the latest example of whiplash for an agency tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
During a morning field call on Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told leaders representing field offices across the country that they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, the source said — a reversal from guidance issued days earlier under pressure from certain industries who rely on migrant workers.
The call and directive were first reported by the Washington Post. CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
ICE has been under tremendous pressure to meet White House-imposed quotas. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told ICE officials last month that they needed to arrest at least 3,000 people a day. ICE has been averaging around 2,000 people a day.
President Donald Trump has directed his ire at Democratic-led cities, which remain the among the targets of immigration enforcement operations.
Speaking to reporters as he returned from the G7 summit in Canada, Trump addressed reports that ICE had resumed enforcement actions in locations such as hotels and bars.
“We’ll look everywhere, but I think the biggest problem is inner cities,” Trump said.
Immigration-enforcement operations have created a chilling effect on some industries heavily reliant on immigrant workforces, such as farms and hotels, which the president appeared to acknowledge last week.
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” Trump said on Truth Social. “We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!”
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.
