Idaho dairy leaders fear potential extension of immigration crackdowns into agriculture

While the current administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaigns have largely bypassed the agricultural sector, dairy farmers in Idaho are growing increasingly anxious that this reprieve may not last. Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, noted that local operations remain significantly dependent on undocumented workers, with estimates suggesting that 90% of the labor force at the state’s approximately 350 dairies lacks legal status.

Naerebout argued that these physically demanding roles do not appeal to U.S. citizens, meaning the industry is not competing for jobs available to the native-born workforce. “If we had a concerted effort to have enforcement activities within agriculture, you could really harm our ability to produce food to feed ourselves,” he stated.

Idaho, a state that consistently ranks among the top five nationally for milk production, has experienced a noticeably lighter touch from federal agents compared to many other regions. Interviews with legal advocates and community members indicate that the state has not faced the same intensity of enforcement seen in neighboring areas. However, regular flights from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) land at the Twin Falls airport twice a week, prompting local activists to organize protests against these deportation transports.