Meatpacking industry groups raised concerns Friday that recent heightened immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have caused employees to miss work, leading to problems at meat-related businesses that could ultimately raise prices for consumers.
The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Kansas Livestock Association said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have prompted delays in the shipment of thousands of cattle, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. The groups say ICE operations have disrupted operations at feedlots, dairy processors, feed and grain companies, and transportation hubs.
Scarlett Mabinger, the vice president of communications for the Kansas Livestock Association, said they have received multiple calls from their members reporting an increase in absences at their southwest Kansas businesses after these communities noticed an increase in federal immigration officers this week.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed their presence in Kansas but said they are not conducting worksite raids.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement that ICE has been “targeting heinous criminals,” but he didn’t give a breakdown on the number of people arrested.
Several meatpacking plants in the Kansas cities of Dodge City, Liberal and Garden City typically process thousands of cattle every day, but Mabinger said some had to shut down temporarily and send cattle back to feedlots.
“So then they’re having to be returned back to the feed yard to wait, which, of course, causes an animal health issue, causes financial issues,” she said.
The Kansas Livestock Association did not receive reports of arrests happening at worksites, but community members started noticing the arrival of officers on Tuesday.
Amy Soberanes, a 25-year-old community organizer in Dodge City, Kansas, has been helping deliver food to people who are afraid to leave their homes. She said cleaning crews stopped showing up at some locations, forcing plants to close.
“I have worked with so many moms who have told me that they don’t know what they’re gonna do because their provider has been taken,” Soberanes said. “I have seen kids cry to me because their mom and dad are gone. It brought a lot of hurt, and a lot of pain, and a lot of trauma for our community.”
Several of the Kansas cities where ICE enforcement appears to have increased have large Hispanic populations. Their populations have risen in the last decade from new immigrant arrivals, mostly from Cuba and Haiti, according to federal data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.
Voters in these counties heavily favored Donald Trump in the last election, with more than 65% casting ballots in favor of the Republican Party.
Republican politicians, who typically have sided with Trump on immigration, are making careful pivots in their messaging.
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican incumbent in a tight race against a Democrat, and Sen. Jerry Moran said they were both concerned and urged the federal administration to coordinate with local authorities. “Secretary Mullin assured me these warrants are only for the purpose of arresting individuals who have been charged with criminal activities,” Moran said in a statement shared on social media.
The administration has repeated claims of targeting immigrants with criminal histories, but recent data suggests more than half of those arrested in July had not been convicted of any crimes and were not facing any criminal charges. Less than a quarter of those arrested had been convicted of a crime.
Members of the Kansas Livestock Association are urging federal officials to conduct more targeted enforcement actions and provide more transparency.
Beef prices have soared to record highs in the past year, largely thanks to the smallest national herd in 75 years. The Trump administration has made efforts to bring down prices, like allowing some beef imports without high tariffs and reopening the border to cattle from Mexico, which had been closed because of an outbreak of a pest that can be deadly to cattle called the New World screwworm.
“If it continues for a long enough period of time, then it could therefore lead to increased prices, because we are not processing the amount of beef that consumers are currently demanding,” Mabinger said.