According to the Financial Times (FT), restaurants across the United States have recently been frequently visited by immigration officials who confirm their employment qualifications. In May alone, more than 100 companies in Washington were cracked down on by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tony Foreman, who runs five restaurants in Maryland, said, “Some employees are afraid to go to work due to the ‘very public’ crackdown by armed crackdown agents.” “The imminent shortage of manpower will bring pressure on the hospitality industry to increase wages,” he said. “Some restaurants will find it difficult to find fully qualified employees.”
According to the American Restaurant Association (NRA), more than one in five restaurant workers in the U.S. are foreign nationals, many of whom are legal workers. However, it is estimated that there are about 1 million unregistered immigrants who work in the industry.
Restaurant owners say the current government has revoked the legal status of thousands of workers and spread an atmosphere of fear among both legal and illegal immigrants, exacerbating the difficulty of hiring.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the Trump administration could cancel the temporary protection status granted by former President Joe Biden to up to 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants who have avoided political turmoil and economic crisis in 2023. The protection for 250,000 people granted in 2021 expires this September, putting many immigrants on the verge of losing their legal jobs. “Many clients are having difficulty replacing employees who were previously licensed for work due to the cancellation of the Trump administration’s status,” said Jacob Monty, an immigration lawyer.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
