Linda Sánchez, Democrat of California, speaks at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus press conference on Jan. 23, 2025. From left to right are Democratic Reps. Emily Randall of Washington state, Ted Lieu of California, Adriano Espaillat of New York, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Juan Vargas of California, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico and Rob Menendez Jr. of New Jersey. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON — Following a host of immigration-related executive actions from President Donald Trump and his vow to enact mass deportations, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Thursday highlighted how those policies would harm three specific groups — farm workers, immigrant families and so-called Dreamers.
“These three major linchpins are critical to this caucus and bring us all together, whether we are progressive, moderate or a little bit more moderate,” said the chair of the caucus, Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York. “We will be speaking about these three important items as the (immigration) debate continues.”
Republicans gained unified control in Washington in the November elections after campaigning on promises to increase border security and backing Trump on his pledge to launch mass deportations of people without legal status.
Now some Democrats are shifting to the right on the immigration issue as well, with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate to send a bill to the president’s desk that will lead to mass detention of immigrants charged or arrested for shoplifting, among other crimes. Trump is expected to sign it into law.
New Mexico Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who represents a border town, said, “I believe it’s our collective responsibility to move past the divisive rhetoric and work with our colleagues to find the solutions that our Americans truly care about.”
That includes legal immigration pathways and resources for border security, he said.
An executive order Trump signed this week axed one way migrants were able to make appointments with asylum officers, known as the CBP One app. He also terminated asylum, along with ending humanitarian parole protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
Another order, which aims to end the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, has already been temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Washington state.
Food prices
During the press conference, Democrats highlighted the importance of immigrant labor to the U.S. economy, and how Trump’s promise of mass deportations will raise the prices of food, as farm workers are afraid to go to work over fears of deportations.
“Farm workers, on the other hand, are critical, not just to the economy, but if they continue to be scared and missing work because they feel they’re going to get deported, it will show up at our dinner table,” Espaillat said. “The prices of the fruits and vegetables and produce that they pick will dramatically go up. So if you think we have an issue with inflation, this will put it on steroids.”
Members of the caucus, such as Rep. Linda Sánchez, Democrat of California, stressed how “immigrants are the backbone of the economy.”
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the high level of immigration expected between 2024 and 2034 will boost gross domestic product by $8.9 trillion.
“Despite their contributions, our communities are under attack from President Trump because he sees them as an easy target,” she said. “Whether we want to recognize it or not, we depend on their labor.”
DACA program
When it comes to Dreamers, the more than 500,000 people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who were brought to the United States as minors, Espaillat said a majority of Americans agree they should be protected.
“I think there’s a general consensus in America that these young people, for the most part, should be allowed in, and their status should be regularized,” he said.
Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvia Garcia said that she is hopeful that Trump will want to keep Dreamers in the United States. Trump in December said he was open to working with Democrats in order to keep DACA recipients in the U.S., but did not elaborate on any plans and lawmakers have remained skeptical.
“He hasn’t said how, and that is the question of the day,” she said.
During Trump’s first term, he tried to end DACA, but was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that the procedure to end the program was improper.
Last week, a federal appeals court ruled DACA unlawful, but the court is keeping the program in place ahead of a likely appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.