US farm secretary says ‘no amnesty’ for farmworkers from deportation

WASHINGTON – US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on July 8 that there will be “no amnesty” for agricultural workers as President Donald Trump’s administration moves to deport all immigrants in the country illegally.

Ms Rollins said the administration wants a 100 per cent American workforce and suggested some people receiving government aid could replace immigrant workers.

“Ultimately, the answer on this is automation, also some reform within the current governing structure. And then also, when you think about it, there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid programme. There are plenty of workers in America,” she said at a press conference outside the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters.

Most adults on Medicaid work full- or part-time or are not working due to illness or disability, caregiving, or school attendance, according to a May brief by the health policy organisation KFF.

The farm sector has warned that mass deportation of farm workers would disrupt the US food supply. In June, the Trump administration signalled it might pause raids on some farm work sites. It has since reversed course.

Mr Trump’s

tax-cut and spending Bill

, passed on July 3, introduces work requirements for Medicaid, which the US Congressional Budget Office has said is expected to leave nearly 12 million people uninsured.

Later on July 8, US Secretary of Labour Lori Chavez-DeRemer said at a Cabinet meeting at the White House that the US Department of Labour had developed a new office to work with farmers and ranchers, but did not provide more details.

The Labour Department oversees the H-2A programme, which provides seasonal visas for agricultural workers.

Farmland purchase curbs?

Ms Rollins also said at the press conference that the USDA will

curb farmland purchases by “foreign adversaries”

, including China, and terminate agreements and contracts with people and entities from those countries.

Asked about land already owned by Chinese-owned companies Syngenta and Smithfield Foods, Ms Rollins said the administration is still considering its options.

“You’ll likely see an executive order on this very soon from the White House and we’ll be looking at multiple different authorities within the federal government to begin to claw that back,” Ms Rollins said.

China’s foreign ministry on July 9 called the US’ move “discriminatory”, generalising national security and depriving organisations and citizens from certain countries of the right to purchase land and real estate.

“We urge the US side to immediately stop politicising economic, trade and investment issues,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

In 2023, Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell 65ha of farmland under a state law barring some foreign entities from acquiring or holding land.

Twenty-six states limit or ban foreign businesses, governments or nationals from owning private farmland, according to the US National Agricultural Law Centre, and some of those laws have faced legal challenges.

Only about 3.4 per cent of US farmland is owned by foreign entities, and Canada owns the largest share, about 30 per cent, according to the USDA.

Ms Rollins said she will be a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, “as of this afternoon”. The interagency body reviews foreign investments in the US for national security threats.

Bipartisan lawmakers have supported limits on ownership of farmland by foreign countries, citing national security concerns. REUTERS