Editorials & Other Articles

Eugene

(65,814 posts) Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:34 AM Jul 8

US farm secretary says 'no amnesty' for farmworkers from deportation - "the answer to this is automation"

Source: Reuters

US farm secretary says 'no amnesty' for farmworkers from deportation

Leah Douglas
Tue, July 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM EDT
1 min read

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that there will be "no amnesty" for agricultural workers from the Trump administration's efforts to deport all immigrants in the country illegally.

The farm sector has warned that mass deportation of farm workers would disrupt the U.S. food supply. The administration of President Donald Trump in June signaled it might pause raids on some farm worksites before reversing course.

Rollins said the administration wants a 100% 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, there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program. There are plenty of workers in America," she said at a press conference outside the Department of Agriculture headquarters.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-farm-secretary-says-no-150145679.html

11 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

US farm secretary says 'no amnesty' for farmworkers from deportation - "the answer to this is automation" (Original Post) Eugene Jul 8 OP

Slavery resumes! people Jul 8 #1

True: " automation won't work for many kinds of crops" Attilatheblond Jul 8 #5

The only thing that surprises me any more is that Sarah Palin is no longer the single dumbest politician in my life... Moostache Jul 8 #2

does the pillsbury dough boy(tm,r) laugh and explodes AllaN01Bear Jul 8 #3

And there it is. Couldn't be more clear. Biophilic Jul 8 #4

there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program progressoid Jul 8 #6

UGh... those mnumbers are staggering, but realistic... FirstLight Jul 8 #8

it's propaganda for the cult Skittles Jul 8 #10

Many adults on Medicaid have mental health issues Captain Zero Jul 8 #7

so fucking stupid and demented.... just like the rest of this demented and stupid administration LymphocyteLover Jul 8 #9

Maddow Blog-Agriculture secretary suggests Medicaid recipients can replace immigrants as farmworkers LetMyPeopleVote Jul 9 #11

people

(790 posts)

1. Slavery resumes!

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:41 AM

Jul 8

Making Medicaid recipients pick crops is slavery. Moving to automation won't work for many kinds of crops -- such as cucumbers and tomatoes. To the extent any of this kind of automation is developed it will get rid of what is left of family farms. These TSF administration is so bad it's almost unbelievable.

Attilatheblond

(6,709 posts)

5. True: " automation won't work for many kinds of crops"

Reply to people (Reply #1)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:46 AM

Jul 8

But corporations that make farm equipment (but don't allow farmers to repair equipment they buy) will do great in the stock market. And people will get used to mangled vegetables if they don't want scurvy. /s

Moostache

(10,690 posts)

2. The only thing that surprises me any more is that Sarah Palin is no longer the single dumbest politician in my life...

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:45 AM

Jul 8

And in fact, she is having a hard time staying in the top-25 any more these days. She is the political equivalent of the 1990's Nebraska football program - once seen as nearly unbeatable (dumbest by a country mile), but today just a second rate program that is fading fast into memory.

AllaN01Bear

(26,508 posts)

3. does the pillsbury dough boy(tm,r) laugh and explodes

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:45 AM

Jul 8

Biophilic

(5,888 posts)

4. And there it is. Couldn't be more clear.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:45 AM

Jul 8

If you want Medicaid you will need to find work on a farm, replacing those “thieving immigrants”. All those 34 million able bodied people will take their place. What a disaster waiting to happen to so many people.
How can there be this many stupid people? It has begun to occur to me that white people may have a defective gene or two. How else could a large group of them think this makes any sense at all. It’s like they have a thought they like and are than totally unable to think beyond that original idea.

progressoid

(51,624 posts)

6. there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:52 AM

Jul 8

Unsurprisingly, he's full of shit.

Of those on Medicaid, 6.7 million are elderly, 29.3 million are children, and the remaining 37.2 million are working-age adults.

Of the working-age adults on Medicaid, 9.5 million are parents, 13.8 million are disabled, and 13.9 million are able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs).

https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2025/05/15/is-there-really-an-epidemic-of-workless-medicaid-recipients/

FirstLight

(15,493 posts)

8. UGh... those mnumbers are staggering, but realistic...

Reply to progressoid (Reply #6)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 12:07 PM

Jul 8

and why can't the damn government look uop it's own numbers!!?? they KNOW not everyone is "able bodied"...they're just trying to scramble to fix what they fucked up. as per usual.

Skittles

(166,089 posts)

10. it's propaganda for the cult

Reply to FirstLight (Reply #8)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:24 PM

Jul 8

convince them all those folk are at home playing videogames

Captain Zero

(8,145 posts)

7. Many adults on Medicaid have mental health issues

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 11:58 AM

Jul 8

Most Medicaid support systems encourage them to develop job skills and some do work at very limited part time hours. However, expecting them to work 80 hours a month is highly unrealistic.

LymphocyteLover

(8,354 posts)

9. so fucking stupid and demented.... just like the rest of this demented and stupid administration

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jul 8, 2025, 01:08 PM

Jul 8

LetMyPeopleVote

(166,465 posts)

11. Maddow Blog-Agriculture secretary suggests Medicaid recipients can replace immigrants as farmworkers

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Wed Jul 9, 2025, 09:43 AM

Jul 9

If the Trump administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.

Agriculture secretary suggests Medicaid recipients can replace immigrants as farmworkers.
If the Trump administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— hateGOP (@hategop.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T21:36:08.484Z

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/agriculture-secretary-suggests-medicaid-recipients-can-replace-immigra-rcna217572

Soon after, Team Trump reversed course, and then reversed course yet again. As recently as last week, the president talked about developing a temporary pass for immigrants who work on farms, which was the opposite of what his “border czar” said a week earlier.

This week, as Reuters reported, the moving target moved again:

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that there will be ‘no amnesty’ for agricultural workers from the Trump administration’s efforts to deport all immigrants in the country illegally. The farm sector has warned that mass deportation of farm workers would disrupt the U.S. food supply.

To be sure, the Cabinet secretary’s comments were newsworthy, though if recent history is any guide, a prominent White House official, including possibly Donald Trump himself, will contradict Rollins very soon.

But of particular interest was something else the agriculture secretary said.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lthhwchvtw2h

Link to tweet

“I can’t emphasize this enough,” Rollins said. “There will be no amnesty; the mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way; and we move the workforce toward automation and 100% American participation, which with 34 million able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do fairly quickly.”

In other words, as the agriculture secretary sees it, there’s no need for concern about farmers losing out on immigrant labor because those workers can be replaced thanks to “automation” and Medicaid beneficiaries......

But what I find myself stuck on is Rollins’ quote in the context of the Republicans’ domestic policy megabill. GOP policymakers approved sweeping and unprecedented cuts to Medicaid, arguing that Americans who lose coverage can simply get jobs that offer health insurance.

It’s against this backdrop that the secretary of agriculture suggested that Medicaid beneficiaries — whose coverage is at risk — can replace immigrants as farmworkers, brushing past the inconvenient fact that farmworkers tend not to get health care coverage.

All of which is to say, if the administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.

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