SPOTLIGHT: Immigration raids are causing anxiety for workers and employers
As the Trump administration's immigration crackdown continues, there is increasing tension and anxiety around the potential impact of enforcement actions.
Threat of raids is prompting some employees to not show up for work:
According to Bloomberg, "high-profile immigration raids are scaring off workers." Los Angeles' garment district is reportedly "emptied out" and Texas dairy farmers say "workers aren’t showing up to milk cows."
In the agricultural sector, one farmer says his inability to find enough labor "has become such a headache that he’s had to give up planting some crops."
According to one estimate, “at least half of California’s 900,000 farmworkers are thought to be undocumented.”
The administration has vowed to "increase its deportation efforts in large Democratic-run cities":
Earlier this month, President Trump has made clear his intention of increasing immigration raids in so-called “Sanctuary Cities.”
We must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside."
Immigration law experts say they are flooded with inquiries from anxious employers:
Lawyers who specialize in immigration tell The New York Times they are “swamped with calls” from U.S. employers who “fear having to shut down some operations and potentially losing business and customers.”
Immigration officials say no sector is "off limits":
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin recently told Bloomberg that there will be "no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts.” McLaughlin said "worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone" of the administration's "efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.”
Just days after announcing a "pause" on immigration raids at farms, restaurants and hotels, the Trump administration has ordered the “agency’s raids in those sectors to resume.”
The Associated General Contractors of America has reportedly been “telling contractors to prepare for construction site visits from agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
White-collar workers are increasingly concerned of the impact of immigration raids:
White-collar workers and employers are growing more concerned about the potential impact of the administration's crackdown.
Experts in immigration law say there has been a surge in calls from employers with "immigration anxieties regarding their professional employees."
Experts say many employers are “undertaking I-9 audits to make sure workers are authorized.”
Workers in "fast-growing occupations like data scientists and software developers" who were previously authorized to work may now be "unable to work legally":
On June 12, 2025, the administration "ended humanitarian parole," making 528,000 people who had been authorized to work unable to do so legally.
In addition, the administration "terminated Temporary Protected Status for several hundred thousand individuals" including "workers with Temporary Protected Status from Haiti, Venezuela, Afghanistan and other countries."
Experts say the loss of employment authorization can put the employer -- and worker -- "in jeopardy."
The Department of Homeland Security issued new guidance, urging employers to "check for "authorization status changes" on a regular basis."
Through E-Verify, employers can "regularly generate status change reports that identify whether an employee’s Employment Authorization Document has been revoked," according to DHS.
As of June 20, DHS has “made available information about workers whose documents were revoked between April 9 and June 13.”
Could employers face consequences for hiring undocumented immigrants?
Despite the ongoing raids, immigration enforcement agents "aren’t going after the business owners who may have illegally hired these workers."
Experts say it's "extremely rare" for authorities to prosecute employers for hiring unauthorized workers.
That said, there is a federal law passed back in 1986 that "made it a crime to knowingly hire someone without authorization to work in the country."
While experts say "violators are rarely prosecuted," the law allows for "fines and even incarceration, depending on the number of violations."
Experts say the consequences for impacted workers can be "draconian and harsh," up to and including "being deported after you’ve lived here for a long time" and “separated from your family.”
Read more via Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Axios, HR Dive, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Immigration Reform & Control Act, Construction Dive, The New York Times
EAD Revocation Guidance For E-Verify Employers, June 2025, via E-Verify
Information for Employers and Employees, via USCIS (Department of Homeland Security)
Employers Must Stay Prepared as Immigration Enforcement Policy Changes, June 2025, via SHRM
Staying Compliant in a Changing Landscape: I-9 Audit Best Practices for Employers, March 2025, National Law Review
