Add anti-immigrant activists to the list of Donald Trump allies who feel betrayed by the president after he cancelled a major policy announcement in Wisconsin in early June and instead revealed it in a little-noticed memo.
At the same time, the president has aggravated a substantial number of his MAGA followers by starting a war with Iran, annoyed GOP lawmakers by insisting they pass his SAVE America Act, and seen his approval numbers crater due to the high cost of living. He now he has the Stephen Miller wing of his party mad at him.
According to Washington Post's reporting, the administration announced it would allow dairy farms to bring in migrant labor via an under-the-radar department memo after quietly shelving plans for a public announcement in Wisconsin in early June. One lawmaker and two trade groups confirmed the deliberate coverup, speaking on condition of anonymity about internal discussions.
"We certainly see this as a very good first step," said Trey Forsyth, a lobbyist for the National Milk Producers Federation. "We're just excited to see them doing what they can."
Anti-immigrant activists were not so forgiving.
Rosemary Jenks, founder of the Immigration Accountability Project and member of the Mass Deportation Coalition, articulated their fury in telling the Post, "There's no question that American workers will be pushed out of the dairy industry because H-2A workers will be cheaper."
The report notes that the embattled president has been "trying to address mounting dissatisfaction among farmers fed up with soaring fuel prices, tariffs and fertilizer inflation. On Thursday night, Trump hosted farmers at the Rose Garden Club at the White House to shore up support with a key constituency."
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly attempted damage control in a statement, claiming Trump "listens to a variety of opinions on any given issue, but ultimately decides based on what he feels is best for the country." She framed the policy as merely "clarifying laws currently on the books."
But the Immigration Accountability Project's Jenks dismissed the argument, firing back, "The law that Congress passed very clearly says that H-2A workers have to be temporary or seasonal. Last I checked, there are no dairy animals that take breaks."