National Restaurant Group Asks Trump to Shield Immigrant Workers

A restaurant industry group asked President Donald Trump to consider granting deferred action to immigrant foodservice workers and prioritize individuals who pose a public safety threat for removal.

Trump should also work with the agriculture, hospitality, and foodservice sectors on “targeted workforce solutions” so they can keep essential immigrant workers, Michelle L. Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, said in a letter to the White House released Tuesday.

The restaurant industry generates $1.4 trillion annually and creates more than 15 million jobs, Korsmo wrote. But one in three restaurant operators say they’re understaffed and 77% say they struggle to hire and retain employees, she added.

“As you recognize, the workforce challenges facing farms and hotels also extend to the restaurant industry,” Korsmo said in the letter. “Restaurant operators, farms, and hotels rely on longtime, law-abiding workers in order to better serve our national food and hospitality supply chain.”

The letter from the restaurant industry comes as employers across the country report workforce disruptions stemming from high profile immigration raids.

Trump promised executive action last month to shield farming and hospitality employers from the initiative, but a memo to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement exempting farms, hotels, and restaurants from workplace raids was quickly reversed days later.