SPOTLIGHT: Trump administration promises immigration crackdown on employers
September 2025
Need to Know Briefing: September 2025 The Trump administration say the plan is to take a "harder line against employers" that hire undocumented immigrants.
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On September 4, "nearly 500" federal, state and local law enforcement officers arrived at the Georgia construction site for a Hyundai electric vehicle battery plant.
475 individuals were arrested, "about 300" of whom officials say were South Korean nationals. Immigration officials say that some of those arrested "had crossed into the US unlawfully" while "others had overstayed visas" and "still others were on visa waivers allowing entry for tourism or business but do not permit employment."
Hyundai says it is "committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations" and noted that none of the individuals arrested were "directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company."
The raid included "masked" officers "carrying rifles" as well as reports of workers attempting to "flee into a sewage pond."
The raid followed a "monthslong investigation into employment practices at the site," according to officials, who are "still trying to figure out who hired the illegal workers at the Georgia construction site."
Officials say the investigation was prompted by "local labor unions' complaints that foreign workers were filling jobs."
Read more via CNN, NBC News, The New York Times, USA Today
The early September raid on the Georgia EV battery facility has other foreign manufacturers concerned about "greater scrutiny of their workers’ immigration status."
Leaders at foreign manufacturers say they are often heavily reliant on "folks from the home factory" who may be highly skilled.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company "relied heavily on labor from Taiwan" when building its facility in Arizona, for example.
Some foreign manufacturers are also "very secretive about I.P." and may be "bringing in their own workers" to protect their intellectual property.
Labor unions in the U.S. are "pushing hard" to get those jobs, experts say.
Immigration officials say foreign manufacturers are welcome to "bring workers in for building or other projects," but stress "they need to do it the legal way."
Read more via The New York Times, USA Today
Officials within the Trump administration say the plan is to take a "harder line against employers" that hire undocumented immigrants.
During a recent CNN appearance, administration "Border Czar" Tom Homan said plans are in place for "more worksite enforcement operations." Homan said employers hire undocumented immigrants due to the fact "they can work them harder, pay them less" and "undercut the competition that hires U.S. citizen employees."
Read more via US News, USA Today
New York farmers say they are "beginning to feel the strain of immigration enforcement." Some experts say the ICE raids could be putting the state's $8 billion farming sector at risk, given the region's reliance on immigrant workers. While apple pickers are eligible for H-2A guest worker visas given the temporary nature of the work, dairy workers are "year-round workers" and are "largely ineligible" for H-2A visas. Given this fact, experts say "many dairy farms" and "other year-round agricultural businesses continue to rely heavily on undocumented workers to keep their operations running."
Read more via Newsweek
Nutrition bar manufacturing facility, New York: On September 4, "dozens of workers" were arrested during an ICE raid at a family-owned nutrition bar manufacturing facility in Cato, New York. According to news reports, "virtually the entire workforce" was questioned by immigration officers. News reports indicate that “upwards of 70 employees” were questioned and “nearly all” were then arrested and taken to the nearby Oswego Detention Center." (CNN)
Car washes across southern California: Dozens of southern California car washes have been subject to ICE raids in recent weeks. Some car washes report agents returning to the same location multiple times in just a matter of weeks to make additional arrests. According to advocacy groups, over 100 individuals have been "detained in sweeps at car washes in L.A. and Orange counties since June." While the raids are focused on workers, some customers have also been arrested. (LAist)
Marijuana farms in California: Law enforcement agents arrested "approximately 200 people" who were in the U.S. illegally during a July raid at two locations of a cannabis operation known as "Glass House Farms." News reports reference the raid as "chaotic," with migrants-rights activists clashing with law enforcement, multiple injured workers and even one death. (Reuters)
Racetrack in Louisiana: During a recent operation, ICE and other law enforcement agencies arrested "more than 80" undocumented immigrants during a “worksite enforcement operation" at a Louisiana racetrack. (ICE.gov)
On July 11, a federal court judge ruled that tactics being used by agents conducting immigration raids were "likely unconstitutional because agents were detaining people without probable cause at car washes, bus stops and Home Depot parking lots based on stereotypes."
On September 8, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "sweeping immigration raids in California can continue." The ruling reverses a ruling by a lower court that had barred arrests made unless agents had "reasonable suspicion."
As a result of the ruling, immigration enforcement agents can stop individuals "based solely on their race, language or job," according to news reports and analysis of the decision.
On September 11, California legislators passed a new bill that would prohibit law enforcement officers, including immigration enforcement agents, from "covering their faces while interacting with the public." Other states are considering similar measures.
Read more via BBC, PBS, The New York Times, Politico, CNN, U.S. Supreme Court
Employers have been required, since 1986, to "verify workers' eligibility to work."
The E-Verify system is designed to assist employers in determining "whether their workers are legal."
Individual states "determine whether to require" use of E-Verify and one analysis suggests "fewer than half of states mandate the use of E-Verify for public and some private employers."
Experts say that "foreign workers can … easily produce high-quality fake documents."
In June, an Omaha, Nebraska food packaging facility was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and "about 70 employees were taken into custody." The facility's owner said the company used the E-Verify system to verify workers, but that the company "was a victim of unauthorized workers using stolen identities or fake IDs to get around the E-Verify system."
Read more via E-Verify Requirements, by state, USA Today, The Hill
