What the ICE Arrest Freeze Means for the U.S. Hotel Industry?
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt arrests of undocumented hotel workers, as well as restaurant and farm workers, various media sources reported Friday. Trump’s order was intended to address industry concerns as nationwide protests against ICE raids continue.
Citing internal emails and other sources, the New York Times reported the new orders to pause raids and arrests in hotels, restaurants and the agricultural industry. A source told CBS News that Trump was not aware of the scale of the agency's operations.
"Once it hit him, he pulled it back," the source said.
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said other immigration enforcement operations would continue, CBS reported.
"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," she said.
However, the Washington Post reported that officials it spoke with said there has been no official change in enforcement policy. No new order was available on the White House press office website as of Sunday morning.
Trump acknowledged the impact of his immigration policies on some sectors and said he would issue an order "soon," without giving details, according to the Post.
"Our farmers are being hurt badly and we're going to have to do something about that... We're going to have an order on that pretty soon," Trump said at the White House.
He added that it would also cover the hotel sector, which includes the Trump Organization, his private business now run by his adult sons.
"Our great farmers and people in the hotel and leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace," he wrote on his social media platform before his Thursday remarks. "Changes are coming!"
In April, Trump presented a plan to his cabinet allowing undocumented hotel and farm workers to leave the U.S. and return legally if backed by their employers.
Earlier in the day, protesters in Los Angeles and other cities are marching against Trump’s policies, according to the Los Angeles Times. “No Kings” protests against Trump’s executive actions are planned across Southern California and the country after a week that included National Guard and Marine deployments to L.A. in response to unrest over federal immigration enforcement.
Videos showing ICE agents chasing people in L.A. streets and parking lots have triggered backlash from local officials, sparked protests and led to hundreds of arrests.
In Washington, D.C., Trump attended the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade, which will include military equipment and troops. Saturday is also his 79th birthday.
Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version.
