Tariffs and Immigration Policies

Threats to Workers, Business Owners, and the Agricultural Sector

The new authoritarian administration’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexico, China, and even the U.S. poses serious risks to workers and businesses in multiple industries, but especially in agriculture—a sector that is deeply interconnected with both trade policies and immigration. Simultaneously, the current administration’s aggressive stance on immigrant labor, including mass deportations and restrictive visa policies, creates additional disruptions that could devastate farms, food production, and supply chains.

These policies—tariffs and immigration crackdowns—are not separate issues. Together, they create a compounding crisis that threatens workers of all backgrounds, business owners, and consumers.

Summary of Impacts: How Tariffs and Immigration Crackdowns Hurt the Agricultural Sector

1. Increased Costs for Farmers and Agricultural Businesses

• Tariffs on Mexican and Chinese imports will make critical farming supplies—like machinery, seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers—significantly more expensive.

• Tariffs also invite retaliatory tariffs, meaning China and Mexico will respond by placing higher taxes on U.S. agricultural exports, making American products less competitive in foreign markets.

• Many American farmers, especially soybean, corn, and dairy producers, rely on exports to China and Mexico to sustain their businesses. Tariffs will reduce demand and drive prices down, leading to farm bankruptcies.

2. Labor Shortages and Higher Food Prices

• Immigrant labor is essential to agriculture, with nearly 73% of farmworkers being foreign-born, among whom many are undocumented or reliant on visa programs.

• Cracking down on immigrant workers means fewer hands to harvest crops, care for livestock, and maintain supply chains. This will result in:

  • Crops rotting in the fields because of insufficient labor.

  • Higher food prices for consumers as shortages ripple through the economy.

  • Smaller farms closing due to labor shortages, consolidating the industry under larger agribusinesses.

3. Harm to Native-Born Workers and Small Business Owners

• Farmers, ranchers, and food industry employers depend on immigrant labor to keep costs down and operations running. If workers are deported or unavailable due to visa restrictions, employers will struggle to find replacements.

• Food processing plants, trucking companies, and grocery stores also rely on immigrant labor to maintain supply chains. Disruptions lead to job losses for native-born workers who depend on a functioning agricultural economy.

• Restaurants, supermarkets, and food vendors will see higher prices and labor shortages, threatening small businesses and local economies.

4. Rural America Faces Economic Collapse

• Many rural areas depend on agriculture as the backbone of their economy. If farms and food supply businesses shrink or collapse, entire communities will suffer.

• Tariffs and immigration crackdowns disproportionately harm rural communities on which authoritarians are relying for support in elections.

Unlikely Allies: Building a Broader Coalition

For the most vulnerable workers—including immigrants, undocumented farmworkers, and low-wage laborers—there is potential to form unexpected alliances with groups that may not always align politically, but have a shared interest in resisting these harmful policies.

Potential Allies for Workers in the Agricultural Sector

Farmers and Agricultural Business Owners

• Small and mid-sized farmers need immigrant labor and open markets for their products.

• Many farmers of both political parties are deeply opposed to trade wars and mass deportation but need organized pressure to break ranks.

Restaurant Owners and Food Industry Leaders

• The food industry, from local restaurants to national chains, relies on stable food prices and labor.

• Chefs, food advocacy groups, and restaurateurs could be powerful voices in demanding policy change.

Labor Unions and Worker Advocacy Groups

• Unions like United Farm Workers (UFW), AFL-CIO, and SEIU are already fighting for worker rights in the agricultural sector.

• Organizing alongside unions can increase legal protections, workplace safety, and wage security.

Faith-Based Organizations and Religious Leaders

• Many churches and religious groups (including conservative ones) have a moral commitment to protecting immigrants.

• Catholic and evangelical churches have deep ties to immigrant communities and can help build pressure on lawmakers.

Consumer Advocacy and Food Justice Movements

• Organizations that fight for sustainable agriculture, food security, and ethical labor practices can amplify the voices of workers.

• Consumers who want fair food prices and ethical supply chains have an interest in stopping policies that make food production unstable.

Truckers and Supply Chain Workers

• Tariffs and immigration policies threaten transportation networks that move food across the country.

• Trucking unions and logistics workers can be powerful allies in resisting trade and labor policies that disrupt their jobs.

State and Local Governments

• Many states with large agricultural sectors—California, Texas, Florida, Washington—oppose tariffs and immigration bans because they threaten their economies.

• Local governments can enact sanctuary policies, wage protections, and pro-immigrant labor initiatives.

Call to Action: What Activists Can Do to Fight Back

Stopping destructive trade wars and mass deportations requires grassroots pressure and broad coalition-building. Here’s how activists can take action:

1. Mobilize Farmers and Business Owners

• Engage small farmers and agribusiness owners in public advocacy. Many oppose tariffs and labor shortages but need organized platforms to speak out.

• Pressure local farm bureaus and business associations to oppose tariffs and immigration crackdowns on the basis of bread and butter economic concerns.

2. Defend Immigrant Workers

• Support farmworker organizations like United Farm Workers (UFW) and Centro de los Derechos del Migrante.

• Push for sanctuary protections at the local and state level to prevent deportations that disrupt the workforce.

• Expose how labor shortages hurt native-born workers too, building solidarity across racial and economic lines.

3. Fight Tariffs Through Legislative Action

• Demand that your elected representatives oppose tariffs that harm farmers and small businesses.

• Support state-level trade partnerships to counteract federal restrictions.

• Push for pro-worker trade policies that protect U.S. labor while maintaining critical international partnerships.

4. Use Consumer Pressure to Hold Corporations Accountable

• Demand that food industry giants (like Tyson, Cargill, and major grocery chains) push back against policies that harm their supply chains.

• Organize consumer boycotts against corporations that exploit labor shortages to drive down wages.

5. Organize Protests and Public Awareness Campaigns

• Expose the real-world consequences of tariffs and mass deportation through worker testimonies, social media campaigns, and media advocacy.

• Wherever and whenever possible, highlight the human and economic toll of tariffs and mass deportation through broad reaching education and organizing.

6. Build Coalitions Across Rural and Urban America

• Bridge the divide between rural farmers and urban food justice movements. Both have a stake in fair labor practices and economic stability.

• Work with faith-based and community groups that are concerned about the moral and social impacts of immigration crackdowns.

7. Plan for Electoral Consequences

• Make tariffs and labor policy a 2026 election issue. Educate voters in swing states about how tariffs and immigrant deportations hurt workers, farmers, and consumers.

• Support candidates at every level of government who advocate for worker protections, immigrant rights, and fair trade policies.

Conclusion: We Must Organize to Protect Workers and the Economy

Tariff threats and immigration crackdowns are an economic disaster in the making. They harm the very people Trump claims to protect - working families, farmers, and business owners.

But these policies are not inevitable. By organizing workers, mobilizing business owners, and building broad coalitions, we can push back against economic nationalism and corporate authoritarianism before it’s too late.

The agricultural sector is a battleground. The fight for fair labor, just trade policies, and immigrant rights is a fight for democracy itself. It’s time to take action.