Immigrant Farmworkers in New York Issue Dire Warning of ICE Crackdowns

Farmers and laborers across New York say stepped-up immigration enforcement under the Trump administration is threatening both their livelihoods and the state’s multibillion-dollar agricultural industry. Experts caution that without urgent action from Congress, farms that depend heavily on undocumented workers could face devastating consequences.

Although much of the immigration debate tends to center on New York City, tens of thousands of agricultural workers live and work in rural areas upstate and on Long Island. These workers help sustain more than 30,000 farms making them essential to the state’s food supply. Many say the heightened risk of immigration raids has left them fearful of everyday tasks such as driving to the store, taking their children to school, or even showing up for work.

Farmhands note that without their labor, basic farm operations would grind to a halt. Some warn that livestock and crops could suffer if workers are removed, threatening the stability of dairy and produce operations that rely on a steady workforce.

New York ranks among the nation’s top producers of yogurt and is second in apple production, but the $8 billion agricultural sector is vulnerable to disruption. Analysts argue that the industry cannot survive without immigrant labor, much of which is undocumented.

One challenge is that while temporary agricultural workers can enter the U.S. through H-2A visas for seasonal roles such as apple picking, year-round jobs like dairy farming are not eligible under current rules. That leaves many dairy farms with no legal option but to depend on undocumented employees.

Communities in places such as Niagara and Suffolk Counties, where immigrant populations are deeply integrated into local farming, are especially unsettled. Advocates say even the detention of a single worker can cause ripple effects as families retreat from public life out of fear, avoiding schools, grocery stores, and medical care.

A shrinking workforce also poses broader economic risks. Labor shortages could drive up operating costs for farms, leading to supply constraints and higher prices for consumers. Meanwhile, undocumented New Yorkers contribute billions in state and local taxes each year, underscoring their role in supporting the broader economy.

Farm owners stress that these jobs are not unattractive because of low pay as many positions offer $20 per hour or more, but because they demand physical labor that fewer U.S.-born workers are willing to take on. They argue that immigrant labor is critical to keeping farms running.

Labor organizers report that more farmworkers are reaching out to learn about their rights in the event of immigration raids. Recent operations in Orleans County led to more than 20 workers being detained across two incidents in May and August, intensifying anxiety among families who have lived and worked in the region for years.

Immigrants are constantly being apprehended and taken to the Niagara County Jail, which is the federally approved holding facility in the area.

Although former President Donald Trump has suggested he might back legislation to allow certain undocumented workers in agriculture and hospitality to stay, no concrete policy has materialized. Nor has there been a change in enforcement actions by ICE.

Instead, his administration emphasized strict enforcement, including offers of financial incentives for “self-deportation.” Many immigrant workers say such measures are unrealistic, noting that they have established lives, jobs, and families in the U.S. that they cannot abandon.

Administration officials have defended their approach, saying it is aimed at fixing a long-broken immigration system and ensuring American food security. Yet some growers say they remain skeptical, arguing that politicians from both parties have failed to provide meaningful reform that balances enforcement with the needs of agriculture.

Without a workable solution, many in the industry fear that farms across New York will continue to face worker shortages, economic instability, and an uncertain future.

Immigrant Farmworkers in New York Issue Dire Warning of ICE Crackdowns