The Trump administration is painting a dark, dystopian picture of American farming when it comes to worker policies.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

“A top Trump administration official’s claim that Medicaid recipients could replace farmworkers has met with pushback from California’s agriculture industry, which faces the loss of its workforce amid the federal immigration crackdown.

‘There will be no amnesty. The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way,’ said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. ‘And we move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which, again, with 34 million people, able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do that fairly quickly.’

According to 2022 figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 42% of crop farmworkers had no work authorization, with California having the highest share of unauthorized workers.

Immigration raids at farms, ranches and dairies have recently targeted operations in Ventura County, as well as those in other states, such as Nebraska. Many farmers reported their workers had stayed home for days after such enforcement actions out of fear of arrest.

Last month, President Trump acknowledged concerns among agriculture industry leaders that recent immigration enforcement was taking away critical workers. That led to a pause of worksite raids in the agriculture, hotel and restaurant sectors.

Days later, though, his administration reversed course.”

For the rest of the story, visit The Los Angeles Times here.