Trump tells ICE to hit blue cities, spare farms, hotels

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and President Donald Trump are seen during a White House round table

(Image credit: Francis Chung / Politico / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump has directed immigration agents to pause workplace raids at hotels, farms and restaurants, several news organizations reported over the weekend. But he said on social media Sunday night he was ordering ICE to "expand efforts to detain and deport" undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other large cities that "are the core of the Democrat power center."

Who said what

Trump conceded in a post Thursday that his "very aggressive" immigration policy had been depriving "our great farmers" and hotel owners of "very good, long time workers" who are "almost impossible to replace." Later that day, senior ICE official Tatum King emailed colleagues nationwide to "hold on all work site enforcement" on "agriculture (including aquaculture and meatpacking plants), restaurants and operating hotels," according to The New York Times and Axios.

Trump was "persuaded" to shield the agriculture and hospitality industries by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who "relayed a growing sense of alarm from the heartland," and by "influential Trump donors" who urged him to "include the restaurant sector," the Times said Saturday. "Top White House officials were caught off guard — and furious" at Rollins — over the easing of the "hard-line approach" designed by top aide Stephen Miller.

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Late last month, Miller reprimanded ICE leaders for failing to arrest enough immigrants, telling them to "just go out there and arrest illegal aliens," The Wall Street Journal said. "Miller said, 'What do you mean you're going after criminals? … Why aren't you at Home Depot? Why aren't you at 7-Eleven?'" an official told The Washington Examiner. Miller then tripled their daily arrest quota to 3,000 migrants.

What next?

It "remains to be seen how effective" Trump's new order will be and whether he "will stick with his decision," the Times said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.