As part of President Donald Trump's mass deportation push, federal agents have raided workplaces across the country, from meatpacking plants in Nebraska to construction sites in south Texas. In Maine, many key industries already struggle to attract enough workers, and the arrest of a couple dozen farmworkers earlier this year has some employers, trade groups, and business advocates on edge.
One Maine dairy farmer says her five immigrant employees, about half her staff, are essential to the care and management of 900 cows.
"They're kind of the heartbeat of the entire operation," she said.
This farmer agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, to protect the privacy of her employees and her business. She says she began employing immigrant workers, mostly from Mexico and Guatemala, about 15 years ago, after struggling to find and retain American-born employees.
"They brought a work ethic to our industry that we had never seen in many years, hiring local," she said.
This farmer said her current employees have all presented legal work authorization. But over the last year, she said she's aware of instances in which even workers with legal status have been detained.
"So your concern is that, you know, anybody could be at risk," she said.
Across the country, federal agents have arrested agricultural, construction, and manufacturing workers in the past year in workplace raids.
In February, Border Patrol agents conducted two raids in Skowhegan, arresting several dozen workers on their way to Backyard Farms in nearby Madison. Neither Border Patrol nor Backyard Farms have shared much information about the raids. But court records indicate some of the workers were from Venezuela. At least one had a pending asylum claim and was ordered released.
It's all happening as Maine businesses struggle with a long-standing workforce shortage.
"We just don't have enough employees for the jobs that exist in the area," said Kimberly Lindlof, president of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce in Waterville.
Lindlof said central Maine's immigrant community has grown in recent years, with many new arrivals filling jobs in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture, an overall boon to local businesses.
She said it's important that people follow the legal pathways and abide by the law. And if there are issues, Lindlof said, she'd welcome a more collaborative approach from the federal government.
"I think it would be more productive if there were some kind of communication and checks done in advance," Lindlof said. "As opposed to just going in and, you know, arresting everybody."
Some analysts say that Trump's mass deportation push could hamstring economic growth in the U.S. The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton business school has projected that deporting large proportions of the undocumented population would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, reduce gross domestic product, and lead to a long-term reduction in average wages across the board —though the projections for low-skilled workers are mixed, ranging from short-term increases to long-term decreases based on different policy scenarios.
"This blanket mass deportation is removing highly productive, contributing, long term immigrants from this workforce, and it's not good for anyone," said Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition, which advocates for immigration reform from an economic perspective.
The net impact of removing so many workers from the labor force, Shi said, is higher prices for food, housing, and healthcare.
"The demand is still going to be there, but there's going to be much less supply, because there's not going to be the labor to do the work," Shi said.
"Without immigrant workers, we're toast like we can't operate," said Stephen Coston, owner of Bar Harbor Hotel Group, which operates about a properties. He said his staff swells to several hundred people in the summer, and about half are immigrants.
Those with work visas, Coston said, are still showing a strong desire to come work at his properties. But he said fear of immigration enforcement has rattled some of his employees who are longtime U.S. residents.
"They're nervous that they're going to be targeted or get caught up in the situation," he said. "Even even though, you know, they're citizens at this point, or they're here on a proper visa."
Coston said filling seasonal positions is already one of the toughest parts of the business.
"So any additional challenge on top of, you know, the challenges we already have, it's just like, Oh God, like, don't need this right now," Coston said.
But he said it's too early to say how these additional challenges will affect staffing for the peak summer season, as hiring ramps up this month.
