President Donald Trump made it clear on his first day in office that he intends to follow through on campaign promises to significantly increase deportations of illegal immigrants and use tariffs as leverage to implement trade policy. However, illegal immigrants make up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce, and mass deportation is a serious threat, especially given the limitations of the H-2A visa program and the challenges in attracting American workers to agricultural jobs. This could lead to agricultural labor shortages. Imported fruits and vegetables are often cheaper because overseas wage rates are significantly lower. These new policies can have a significant impact on the costs incurred at grocery stores.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on immigration, threatening wide-ranging tariffs, including a 25% tariff on imports into the United States from Mexico and Canada. It was announced on February 1st and outlined several actions aimed at curbing inflation. A deeper understanding of how fresh produce ends up in U.S. grocery stores can help clarify the contradictions in these goals. The United States relies on legal and illegal immigrants to grow and harvest much of its fresh produce. Deportations and resulting labor shortages will significantly increase the cost of agricultural products that require hard labor, especially fruits such as strawberries and blueberries, or that must be hand-picked. We don’t know if these plans will be implemented, but understanding the role that immigrants, legal and illegal, play in getting produce to supermarkets can help the administration make better decisions. Probably. If you make a mistake, some items, such as berries, can become luxury items.
