Pause on deportation arrests of hotel, restaurant and farm workers

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A small sense of relief for many in the farming community after it was reported that the Trump administration directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels.

According to the New York Times, an official with ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit wrote regional leaders on Thursday to halt investigations of the agricultural industry.

"Our farmers are being hurt badly by, you know, they have very good workers. They've worked for them for 20 years. They, they're not citizens, but they've turned out to be, you know, great, and we're gonna have to do something about that," said President Trump.

Manuel Cunha Jr., at the helm of the Nisei Farmers League in Fresno, said the President's words are a positive step forward.

"It was like a sign of relief saying, I finally realize it, our industry is heavily unauthorized. And that he got it," said Cunha Jr.

On Monday, Cunha sent an email to the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins.

"So, we're asking the President, Mr. Trump, to sign the executive order as soon as possible," said Cunha.

The President did not say if an executive order could be put in place, but did add that there needs to be an evaluation on mass deportations across multiple industries.

"We can't take farmers and take all their people and send them back because they don't have maybe what they're supposed to happen. I think we can't do that to our farmers and leisure, too, hotels, uh, we're gonna have to use a lot of common sense on that." said President Trump.

Cunha is hopeful for the future. Especially with the heightened fear he sees and hears about from people in the farming community.

"Every day they think about that, which one of the parents is going to be hauled off? And that has a lot of fear, I'm sorry, just because people talk about it like it's not there, but it's real," said Cunha Jr.

Action News did reach out to ICE but has not heard back.

However, just hours ago, The Washington Post reported the Department of Homeland Security told staff earlier today that it was reversing this guidance. ABC News has not independently confirmed this information.

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