Trump and his advisers are reportedly planning a new wave of executive actions targeting legal immigration and one action said to be in the planning stages stands out to me because it will impact an industry that is already reeling from Trump's other policies.
The goal for [Stephen Miller] and his team is to arm Trump with enough data and statistics by early September to show voters that he fulfilled his immigration promises — even without a border wall or any other congressional measure, said one Republican close to the White House.
Among the fresh ideas being circulated: tightening rules on student visas and exchange programs; limiting visas for temporary agricultural workers; making it harder for legal immigrants who have applied for welfare programs to obtain residency; and collecting biometric data from visitors from certain countries.
Economic losses stemming from Trump's global trade war are already beginning to pile up and, on top of that, Trump may sign an executive order limiting access to the labor force that stocks our shelves and puts food on American tables.
It wouldn't be incorrect to say American farmers are getting what they voted for, but this isn't going to stop at the farmstead. The combination of retaliatory tariffs on American agriculture, Trump's tariffs on metal and farming equipment, and a possible crackdown on legal immigrant labor could lead to fluctuations and price shock at grocery stores across the country.
It may be overlooked, but refugees and asylum seekers also often work in the agriculture industry and Trump has all but stopped accepting both into the country.
I have a hunch that Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and golf clubs will have no problems gaining approval for temporary worker visas regardless of any executive order Trump signs.