Industries heavily dependent on immigrant labour have criticised US President Donald Trump’s decision to promote Stephen Miller, his chief architect of deportation policies, to chief of staff, amid growing concerns over the impact of immigration enforcement on businesses.
The promotion, announced on Friday and due to take effect on Monday, has unsettled leaders representing the agriculture and construction sectors, coming days after millions of Americans signalled their opposition to the administration’s immigration policies.
Chris Herr, president of the PennAg Industries Association, which represents farmers and pork and poultry producers, said he initially welcomed reports that Miller was leaving his previous position.
“When I got a text message, ‘Hey, have you heard about Stephen Miller?,’ my first thought was: Thank goodness he was let go,” Herr said.
He noted that many of his members had supported Trump in the 2024 election but had become increasingly dissatisfied with his administration as immigration enforcement led to the loss of workers on farms.
Herr also questioned whether Trump’s administration would maintain its current approach to immigration policy under Miller’s leadership.
“The wild card now is what is the president going to do?” Herr said. “Is he going to be engaged, or is the Stephen Miller policy going to rule the day?”
Last month, more than 40 farmers and agricultural industry groups wrote to Trump and congressional leaders, warning that the immigration crackdown was affecting the country’s food supply, hurting farmers and potentially driving up grocery prices.
The letter represented a shift in strategy for an industry that had previously avoided publicly criticising immigration raids, preferring to engage the administration through private lobbying.
About 66 per cent of America’s farmworkers are foreign-born, highlighting the agricultural sector’s reliance on immigrant labour.Faridah Abdulkadiri
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