Overview

• President Trump told CNBC that undocumented farm workers are “naturally” inclined to perform back-breaking field labor that inner-city Americans “don’t do.”
• He relayed a purported farmer’s remark that migrants “don’t get a bad back” because they “die” if they’re injured, labeling them “very special people.”
• Trump endorsed a complex program to deport certain undocumented farm workers and then allow them to reenter legally under a touchback pass system.
• The administration has alternated between pausing and resuming ICE raids on farms as internal debates persist over mass deportations versus sector-specific exemptions.
• Advocacy groups and lawmakers condemned his comments as racist and warned they revive historical stereotypes and undermine due-process protections.