Trump Official Insists Agents Find 'the Worst of the Worst' in ICE Raids at Workplaces as Admin Flip Flops on Stance

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that aggressive immigration raids would continue to target worksites, despite recent comments from President Donald Trump suggesting some agriculture and hospitality workers should be shielded.

"Worksite operations are very much a cornerstone of our enforcement operations," Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, told Newsmax on Tuesday. "These worksites are hubs for drug trafficking, human trafficking, labor trafficking."

"These are places where we do find the worst of the worst—these criminal illegal aliens that the president has a mandate to get off of American streets," she continued.

Last week, Trump suggested that longtime workers in key sectors might be spared, citing concerns from farmers and hotel owners that ICE raids were depleting an already strained labor force.

ICE operations have surged under Trump's second term, with detentions rising over 30% since January. But the push is straining resources: the agency is reportedly overbudget by $1 billion and could run out of funding by next month.

"Changes are coming!" Trump declared on Truth Social, promising to protect "our great Farmers" while continuing to "get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA."

Days later, internal DHS memos reported by The Washington Post revealed that prior guidance pausing some operations was rescinded, with ICE resuming full-scale enforcement.

Despite the Trump administration's claims that recent ICE raids primarily target violent criminal immigrants, internal data obtained by CNN uncovered that less than 10% of the roughly 185,000 people booked into ICE custody since October 2024 have been convicted of serious crimes such as murder, rape, assault, or robbery. In fact, over 75% had no criminal convictions beyond immigration or traffic-related offenses.

Still, the administration insists it is fighting an invasion of criminal migrants, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expedite deportations and suggesting the suspension of habeas corpus.

"Criminal aliens should know that there's no safe haven for them," McLaughlin emphasized. "There's no safe harbor. Whether it be a church, or a courthouse, or a worksite — we will come for you and we will arrest you and you will be deported."