Donald Trump Hires Foreign Labor Amid Mass Deportations

President Donald Trump acknowledged on June 12 that aggressive immigration enforcement is creating labor shortages in the U.S. hospitality and agriculture sectors. In a Truth Social post, he noted that operators are losing longtime workers who are almost impossible to replace, though he maintained that criminals must be removed from the United States.

These admissions follow a Forbes report revealing that Trump has employed approximately 2,000 seasonal immigrant workers across his estates and businesses since 2008. At least 1,880 workers were used at Mar-a-Lago and other golf clubs, while his winery has hired 31 workers since the start of the year. These employees hold short-term H-2A agricultural and H-2B hospitality visas, earning between $14.17 and $23.01 per hour.

Simultaneously, the Trump family is seeking 31 additional temporary foreign laborers for the Trump Winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, offering $15.81 per hour. Records show the winery's reliance on foreign labor grew from 121 workers in 2021 to 178 in 2024. This hiring push occurs as the administration intensifies federal enforcement, utilizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard to conduct raids and deport undocumented immigrants. These actions have sparked protests in cities including Los Angeles.