When Enforcement Meets the Economy: Recent U.S. Immigration Moves

In mid‑June 2025 the White House briefly told Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pause worksite raids at farms, hotels and restaurants after industry leaders warned of critical worker losses. The pause was issued in an internal ICE memo and then reversed after senior White House officials pushed for broader enforcement. While the pause lasted only days, it revealed a split inside the administration between hardline advisers who sought mass arrests and others who warned about labor shortages.

Economic analysts have warned that tighter immigration enforcement is shrinking the foreign‑born labor force and could slow economic growth. The Congressional Budget Office projects that deportation plans will reduce immigration by hundreds of thousands over the next decade, and Brookings Institution research estimates that aggressive removals would cut employment growth. ICE detention capacity has been strained, making large‑scale removals harder to sustain. Employers and some economists have urged the administration to create temporary legal passes for key industries so farms and hotels can fill jobs. The back-and-forth on enforcement has also led to large protests in Los Angeles and renewed legal battles over workplace operations.