Former President Donald Trump's proposed mass deportation plan could potentially reduce the agricultural labor force by half and severely impact America's dairy industry, according to a new report by Newsweek.
Nearly half of agricultural workers in the U.S., about 950,000 out of 2.2 million, are undocumented immigrants, the article detailed. And Trump's policy, which seeks to deport all undocumented migrants should he take office, would pose significant challenges for the American farming industry.
Experts, including immigration attorney Hector Quiroga, quoted by Newsweek, have warned that such a policy would create a substantial labor shortage, making the U.S. less competitive in the global market. "Employers in certain jobs are already having a hard time filling positions due to the lack of availability of certain employment visas," explained Quiroga.
The dairy industry, particularly in states like Wisconsin and California, could be severely affected as immigrant labor accounts for 51% of all dairy labor, and dairies employing immigrant workers produce 79% of the U.S. milk supply, according to the National Milk Producers Federation.
Furthermore, a survey by the University of Wisconsin found that 70% of labor on Wisconsin's dairy farms is performed by over 10,000 undocumented migrant workers. This reliance on immigrant labor suggests that Trump's deportation plan could significantly disrupt the dairy industry.
California, the largest food-producing state in the U.S., also relies heavily on an immigrant workforce, particularly in the fruit and vegetable sectors. The Center for Farmworker Families estimates that approximately 75 percent of farm workers in California are undocumented.
During his speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump promised to finish the wall across the U.S. border, which he claimed is nearly finished, as well as execute the biggest deportation operation in U.S. history.
"We also have an illegal immigration crisis, and it's taking place right now as we sit here in this beautiful arena, some massive invasion at our southern border that has spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land," Trump said.
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