After days of deploying troops to Los Angeles to deal with immigration riots, President Trump is now saying that he plans to ease his administration’s strict deportation policies to address a growing farm labor shortage caused by mass immigration raids. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he is considering changes to protect undocumented workers in agriculture, hospitality, and leisure industries—sectors he acknowledged have been hit hard by the deportation of long-term employees. The statement marks a significant shift in tone from his prior hardline stance on undocumented immigrants.

USA Today reports that Trump’s comments follow reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have recently expanded arrests to include non-violent undocumented workers, not just those with criminal records. “Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long-time workers away from them,” Trump wrote. He acknowledged that these workers are often irreplaceable and have contributed decades of labor.

While Trump blamed the labor shortage on President Biden’s “open borders policy,” critics pointed out the contradiction in his message. “Step 1: Trump creates a problem. Step 2: Blames it on Joe Biden, who isn’t even president. Step 3: Posts a rant about his solution — which doesn’t actually offer a solution,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal posted on X. She added, “Yes, our country and economy rely on immigrants. How is he just figuring that out?”

Trump said he is working on an executive order that will take a “common-sense” approach to the issue. “We can’t take farmers, take all their people and send them back because they don’t have maybe what they’re supposed to have,” he said during a White House event. He added that many of these workers “have turned out to be great,” despite lacking legal status.

Roughly 42% of U.S. farm workers between 2020 and 2022 were undocumented, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Yet under Trump’s second term, ICE has ramped up deportations to 3,000 arrests per day, more than triple earlier quotas. The crackdown has triggered chaotic scenes across the country, including tactical raids on restaurants and farms in California.

Adding to the controversy, the Trump Organization itself has a history of employing undocumented labor. A 2019 Washington Post investigation found that at least 48 current and former Trump property employees—including housekeepers, waiters, and landscapers—were undocumented. Despite the crackdown, Trump’s latest remarks suggest a softening of that policy when business interests are at stake.