Immigration Raids Disrupt Meatpacking, Threaten Beef Prices

Meatpacking industry groups have raised alarms that heightened immigration enforcement in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma is disrupting operations, causing worker absences and delaying cattle shipments, with potential consequences for consumer prices.

The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and Kansas Livestock Association said in a joint statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have delayed the shipment of thousands of cattle, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. The groups said the operations have disrupted feedlots, dairy processors, feed and grain companies, and transportation hubs.

Scarlett Mabinger, vice president of communications for the Kansas Livestock Association, said the group has received multiple calls from members reporting increased absences at businesses in southwest Kansas after communities noticed a rise in federal immigration officers this week.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed its presence in Kansas but said it is not conducting worksite raids. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE has been "targeting heinous criminals," without providing a breakdown of arrests.

Several meatpacking plants in Dodge City, Liberal and Garden City typically process thousands of cattle daily. 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 at worksites, but community members began noticing the arrival of officers on Tuesday.

Amy Soberanes, a 25-year-old community organizer in Dodge City, has been helping deliver food to people 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 Kansas cities where ICE enforcement appears to have increased have large Hispanic populations, which have grown over the past decade from new immigrant arrivals, mostly from Cuba and Haiti, according to federal data. Voters in these counties heavily favored Donald Trump in the last election, with more than 65% casting ballots for 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 both expressed concern 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 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 due to the smallest national herd in 75 years. The Trump administration has made efforts to bring down prices, such as allowing some beef imports without high tariffs and reopening the border to cattle from Mexico, which had been closed because of an outbreak of the New World screwworm, a pest that can be deadly to cattle.

"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.