Trump’s mass deportation plan could disrupt PA’s $130 billion agriculture industry

Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he would declare a national emergency to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. This could disrupt Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry, which generates $130 billion annually.

President-elect Donald Trump made references to his mass deportation plans in a post on Truth Social on Monday, which could have devastating impacts on Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry. 

Trump replied “TRUE!!!” to a post made by a conservative activist on the platform earlier this month that stated Trump is ready to declare a national emergency and use the US military to carry out mass deportations.

Throughout his campaign, Trump promised to deport undocumented immigrants and made it a central theme of the 2024 Republican National Convention. 

Last week, Trump appointed Tom Homan, who served as acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement secretary under Trump, as his “border czar.” Homan will most likely help carry out any mass deportation plan, according to The AP. 

Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry generates over $130 billion annually and employs close to 30,000 undocumented workers, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. 

Pennlive reported on Monday that farmers and workers in the poultry and meat industries across the commonwealth are gearing up for raids, deportations, and disruptions to local industries. 

A mass deportation plan could affect areas like Adams County in Southcentral Pennsylvania or Kennett Square in Chester County. 

Adams County is home to 120 fruit farms and orchards that contribute $580 million to the local economy, while Pennsylvania is home to the country’s largest mushroom industry that generates over $764 million in revenue annually. 

Anna Paciorek, a Chester County immigration attorney, works with the mushroom industry and explained to Pennlive how mass deportations and crackdowns would devastate Kennett Square, which produces 60% of the country’s mushrooms. 

“I would say that the bulk of the people that work for the mushroom houses are people who have either lived here for a long time and have worked in the mushroom houses for a long time, and that’s what they’ve done, or people that are new immigrants who don’t have visas, who have some ability to work because of the fact that they filed for asylum, and it’s been long enough for them to get a work permit,” Paciorek said.

Jasmine Rivera, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, remains skeptical about the possibility of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants without severely hurting the country’s economy. 

“The reality is that it’s not possible to deport 11 million people, 12 million people, 13 million people, before this economy crashes,” Rivera told Pennlive.

“You are talking about the workforce that is the backbone of this country. You’re talking about the people who make up the vast majority of agricultural workers. You’re talking about the people who are cooking in the kitchens, and feeding people, feeding communities. These are all the same folks.”