The Trump administration is planning for an increase in worksite immigration enforcement operations, with multiple federal agencies involved in determining how to boost the number of arrests and placate the president’s base, according to five sources familiar with the discussions.
Administration officials say that criminal investigations have been ongoing and that any additional enforcement measures would stem from those probes. A Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN there has been an “increase in criminal investigations targeting fraud.”
The internal effort comes as the administration has tried to balance carrying out a historic number of deportations without agitating key industries — from manufacturing to construction to agriculture — or unsettling a fragile economy.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously sent mixed messages on conducting raids at worksite locations. Last year, an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia kicked off a diplomatic spat between the United States and South Korea.
Immigration hardliners argue worksite enforcement is necessary to achieve the president’s broader immigration agenda.
