Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins argued that 34 million “able-bodied adults” who are at risk of losing their Medicaid benefits should be expected to take the jobs of migrants on farms.
During a Tuesday press conference, Rollins was asked about President Donald Trump’s pledge to give farmers a “pass” when he came to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
“There will be no amnesty,” Rollins insisted. “The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way. And we move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which again, with 34 million people, able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do that fairly quickly.”
“At the end of the day, the promise to America to ensure that we have a 100% American workforce stands, but we must be strategic in how we are implementing the mass deportations so as not to compromise our food supply. Ultimately, the answer on this is automation, also some reform within the current governing structure,” Rollins said.
