Homan hints Trump farmworker policy is coming

White House border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that the Trump administration is considering possible changes to its immigration enforcement policy as it relates to farm and hospitality workers.

In an interview on NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Homan said people in the White House are talking about various policy solutions and he expects he could see an announcement sometime soon.

“I know the Department of Homeland Security, along with the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture are talking about policy changes now,” Homan said. “I mean, the president’s committed: There will be no amnesty. But there’s a lot of smart minds at the White House talking about, ‘Is there something for farmworkers? Is there something for hospitality?’”

“So, we’ll see what comes out of it,” he added. “But people are talking about, ‘Is there something that can be done?’ And I know they’re talking now. And I expect something will come out soon, but we’ll see what goes on.”

“I don’t want to get ahead of the president on what I think is coming, or if something’s even coming, but I know people are talking,” Homan said.

Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will work to carry out whatever policy the president decides to pursue.

“I’m not going to get ahead of the president, what that decision would be,” he said. “I can tell you this: I worked for six presidents. … My job is to operate within the framework provided me by the administration.”

“So if the president comes up with a policy and says, ‘OK, here’s what we’re going to do with farmworkers,’ then ICE will abide by that policy,” Homan continued.

The Trump administration has sent mixed messages about its approach to immigration raids that affect farms and migrant farmworkers.

Last week, Trump announced a program intended to support the agriculture industry, which has complained to the White House that the deportation efforts have disrupted business. Many farms rely on migrant workers, including workers in the country illegally.

The program would not provide “amnesty,” Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stressed at the time, though they offered few details about what it would do.

“There’s no amnesty,” Trump said. “What we’re doing is we’re getting rid of criminals, but we are doing a work program.”

He then asked Rollins to further explain the program, which she said would protect farmers and ensure they had the labor they needed but would not provide amnesty.

Trump added, “We got to give the farmers the people they need, but we’re not talking amnesty.”

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer also said in the meeting that her agency “developed a new office to answer the need of our farmers and ranchers and producers.”

Earlier this month, Trump had signaled deference to farmers who employ migrants without legal status, saying “they know better” in a speech at a “Salute to America” event in Des Moines, Iowa. 

He also indicated during his speech that his administration is working on legislation that would permit some migrants without authorization to stay in the country and continue working on farms.

Trump last month acknowledged concerns among the agriculture and hospitality industries that his administration’s immigration enforcement was taking away workers key to those businesses, which led to a pause in enforcement at farms, hotels and other locations.

But days later, the administration seemed to reverse course.

In a statement to The Hill, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson reiterated the president’s dual commitment to ensuring farmers have the tools they need to succeed in their businesses without providing a “safe haven” to individuals who came to the country illegally.

“President Trump is a tireless advocate for American farmers – they keep our families fed and our country prosperous. He trusts farmers and is committed to ensuring they have the workforce needed to remain successful. But there will be no safe harbor for the countless, unvetted, criminal illegal aliens that Joe Biden let waltz into the country. Removing these dangerous criminals and targeting the sanctuary cities that provide them safe harbor is a top priority for the President,” Jackson said.

Updated July 17 at 7:39 a.m. EDT