Since President Trump’s administration took office in January 2025, the activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dramatically increased.
During the first eight months of 2025, ICE deported nearly 200,000 people. Including deportations by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Coast Guard, and voluntary departures, the total reached nearly 350,000. By the end of fiscal year 2025 (30 September), ICE deportations alone are estimated to surpass 300,000 – the highest figure in a decade.
The number of arrests by ICE and CBP also surged, reaching 228,000 by the end of September. The detention of individuals with no criminal records went from being the minority to surpassing those with criminal records or pending charges.
The intensified enforcement is affecting the foodservice industry. Foreign-born individuals make up 17% of all US employees, but more than 20% of restaurant and foodservice workers, an estimated one million of whom are undocumented, according to the Center for Migration Studies of New York.
Fear and uncertainty
Tracy Chang, owner of Pagu, a tapas restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that blends Western and Eastern cuisines, says the current climate is “quite jarring to our industry overall, because it instils fear in the immigrant community and even in non-immigrants”.
ICE workplace raids are a major source of that uncertainty and anxiety. While these typically represent a small fraction of its enforcement activity – the agency has increasingly focused on border removals over the past years – detentions widely shared on news and social media have amplified fears.
Chang recalls one case that shook the local community: the arrest of Paul Dama, manager of Suya Joint, an African restaurant near Boston. Dama, a Nigerian asylum seeker, fled to the US after being kidnapped and tortured by the jihadist group Boko Haram. Despite his pending asylum application, ICE arrested him for overstaying his visa while he was on his way to church. During his detention, Dama’s sister, the owner of Suya Joint, struggled to keep the business running without his help. He was eventually released, and his asylum request was approved.
For Chang, who was born in the US of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, cases like Dama’s have deepened the sense of vulnerability: “It certainly makes any person of color feel unsafe in everyday places and actions, like going to the store. It feels like our government is attacking us,” she says.
Scott Bierman, vice president of government affairs at the Georgia Restaurant Association, describes a similar anxiety among operators across the state: “While we don’t have any direct reports of ICE raids happening to our members, just hearing about it in the news keeps them up at night. It’s the uncertainty – not knowing if people are going to show up to work today, or show up for the interview process, or for their start date.”
Business impact and industry response
The current climate is hurting sales too. “The effect on community members can be felt in everyday places like local restaurants and coffee shops,” says Chang. “I think if you look at those businesses, everyone is overall down double digits.”
Chang is experiencing the drop first-hand. “We’re seeing a decrease in international students. We used to have weekly groups in the fall. Now they come maybe once every few weeks. And when they do, they bring up concerns about budgets that have been trimmed, since government funding to universities has also been a challenge. It compels us to look for revenue elsewhere.”
As concerns mounted over arrests and deportations affecting restaurants, hotels, and farms, the industry attempted to influence policy, but with limited results. On 1 July, the National Restaurant Association sent an open letter to Trump highlighting the struggles of a sector that generates $1.4trn in annual economic activity: 77% of restaurants can’t hire or retain enough staff, leaving over one million jobs unfilled. The letter urged the administration to focus enforcement on individuals who pose security threats, while considering relief for long-serving undocumented workers who pay taxes and have clean records.
The letter came after Trump had issued a directive in June to largely pause ICE raids on food and hospitality businesses – a directive that was reversed just days later. Around the same time, the Department of Labor established a temporary Office of Immigration Policy tasked with, among other things, helping businesses find legal immigrant workers. Whether this measure – the most tangible response to industry concerns so far – will ease staffing challenges remains to be seen.
Finding resilience
While uncertainty remains, Bierman and Chang believe operators should focus on what they can control: compliance, communication, and protecting their teams.
For Bierman, preparation is key. “When it comes to immigration enforcement, it’s about setting yourself up for success – first by following the law and making sure you’re performing I-9 audits [to verify employment eligibility], so you know where your weak spots are. But it’s also about knowing your rights and those of your employees and guests. If somebody comes to your door looking for undocumented immigrants, make sure you have an attorney you can call at any time.”
As a business owner who is also very active in her local community, Chang keeps vigilance high, even though none of her employees – mostly Latin American – have been arrested or questioned. “Small business owners need to be educated and aware of what’s going on in their local communities and nationally,” she says. “Every member of our team has a handbook explaining what to do if they are approached by ICE. Our managers are available at any time. We regularly check in with our staff to see if they or anyone they know has been affected and to remind them not to go to certain areas ICE might be targeting. Any business owner can do this – it’s really just the basics.”
Despite the challenges, Chang remains hopeful about the industry’s ability to adapt: “It’s easy to become pessimistic, given that there’s a lot going against us,” she says. “But I think it’s important for business owners and employees to maintain positivity and optimism. Even during the dark times of the Covid pandemic, businesses became more creative, trying out new revenue streams like takeout, meal kits, and virtual classes. Now it’s about finding the bright parts of the day-to-day and seeking out local groups and resources.”
Andrea Tolu
