The Donald Trump administration has directed immigration officials to largely suspend raids and arrests in agriculture, hotels, and restaurants, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Friday.
The report cited an internal email and three U.S. officials with knowledge of the guidance.
“Effective today, please hold on all work site enforcement investigations/operations on agriculture (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and operating hotels,” Tatum King, a senior official at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in guidance to regional leaders of the department, the Times added.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the guidance to the Times and said: “We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets.”
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The White House and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of regular business hours.
The report comes after Trump said on Thursday he would issue an order soon to address the effects of his immigration crackdown on the country’s farm and hotel industries, which rely heavily on migrant labour.
U.S. farm industry groups have long wanted Trump to spare their sector from mass deportations, which could upend a food supply chain dependent on immigrants.
Trump is carrying out his campaign promise to deport immigrants in the country illegally. But protesters and some Trump supporters have questioned the targeting of those who are not convicted criminals, including in places of employment such as those that sparked last week’s protests in Los Angeles.
(With inputs from Reuters)
