ICE slashes its workforce by half; what strategies do they employ moving forward?
In the heart of Omaha, Nebraska, Glenn Valley Foods, a prominent meatpacking company, has experienced a significant setback. Over the past few weeks, the company has seen a 70% drop in production due to a wave of immigration enforcement raids this summer.
The raids, carried out by the Trump administration, have resulted in the detention of many of Glenn Valley Foods' employees, most of whom had no criminal history, aside from a handful of traffic violations. Among them is Elizabeth Rodriguez, a former employee, who is currently detained in a detention center across the state.
Rodriguez, a mother and a diligent worker, took on extra hours to pay legal fees and nurse sores on her feet. However, she now seems to be unreachable by her lawyer, causing concern among her family, who have been drafting letters to plead for her release.
The children of Rodriguez are struggling to cope with her detention, while the company grapples with the operational challenges and labor shortages caused by the raids. The American Association of Meat Processors has explicitly requested a pause on ICE raids, noting the meat industry’s heavy dependence on immigrant workers for processing and feeding Americans.
The raids have also led to economic consequences. Research estimates millions of job losses tied to increased deportations, not only among immigrants themselves but also among U.S.-born workers employed in interconnected sectors like construction and child care. The Wells Fargo report underscored that immigrant workers accounted for about three-quarters of all labor growth since 2020.
The owner of Glenn Valley Foods, Gary Rohwer, a registered Republican, voted for a Democrat in the 2024 election due to Trump's treatment of immigrants. He is now taking steps to prevent fraud, with the appointment of a new human resources director, Alfredo Moreno. Moreno believes that the only way to truly prevent fraud is to scrutinize IDs with black lights and magnifying glasses, and then interview each potential employee in person.
The new employees at Glenn Valley Foods are not U.S. citizens and are waiting for authorization to work through E-Verify. Despite this, the company continues to pay well, with an average hourly wage of almost $20 and regular bonuses.
Trump had vowed to pursue "bloodthirsty criminals" during his campaign, but he had also promised the "largest mass deportation in history." The Department of Homeland Security had accused many of the company's former employees of working under stolen IDs, which E-Verify didn't always catch if the ID number itself was valid.
The president's advisers had set a target of 3,000 arrests per day, shifting the focus of enforcement away from the border and into the heart of the American economy. This aggressive immigration policy has led to increased deportations (estimated at nearly 300,000 in 2025 alone) and calls for reform and visa program expansion to stabilize workforce supply amidst enforcement crackdowns.
Without comprehensive immigration reform and a more stable immigration policy, these challenges are likely to persist or worsen, according to prevailing expert and industry analyses. The Rodriguez family, like many others, is hoping for a change in policy that will allow Elizabeth to return home and continue contributing to the American economy.
- The Trump administration's immigration enforcement raids have targeting various businesses across the country, including Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska.
- Many businesses, like Glenn Valley Foods, are heavily reliant on immigrant workers for operation and have raised concerns about the impact of these raids on their businesses and the economy.
- In Seattle, tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon are among those openly critical of the immigration enforcement raids, arguing that they disrupt the workforce and harm business growth.
- The American Association of Meat Processors has specifically asked for a pause on ICE raids, citing the meat industry's heavy dependence on immigrant workers.
- In the wake of the Glenn Valley Foods raids, owner Gary Rohwer, a registered Republican, voted for a Democrat in the 2024 election due to Trump's treatment of immigrants and concerns about the impact of increased deportations on the economy.
- The new human resources director at Glenn Valley Foods, Alfredo Moreno, is implementing stricter measures to prevent fraud, including the use of black lights and magnifying glasses to verify IDs and in-person interviews for potential employees.
- Critics argue that the current aggressive immigration policy, with its emphasis on enforcement crackdowns and increased deportations, is hurting the economy by causing labor shortages, job losses, and harm to companies like Glenn Valley Foods.
