$20 burritos? Fresno restaurants can’t afford Donald Trump’s deportations | Opinion
Few segments of the American economy are immune from damage when the Trump administration decides a massive deportation of undocumented residents is in the best interest of the country.
Farmers, developers, hospitality operators, landscapers and restaurant owners rely on workers who lack the legal right to work in this country. For decades, these employers have found ways to hire undocumented residents because a) they are hard workers, b) their businesses would suffer without them and c) a Social Security number or an ITIN number is all that is needed to “verify” their hiring.
The full implementation of what President Donald Trump has called “the largest deportation program of criminals in the history of America” has yet to occur, but those industries that rely on undocumented labor know that massive deportation would be bad for business.
“You know who’s taking the jobs, the jobs that are created? One hundred and seven percent of those jobs are taken by illegal aliens,” Trump railed during his 2024 presidential campaign.
The president’s alternative facts — and math — don’t jive with reality. There is no migrant crime surge. Studies show undocumented immigrants have lower felony arrest rates than citizens or legal immigrants. We have no qualms about deporting undocumented residents who have committed crimes.
Fresno Bee staff writer Bethany Clough’s in depth look at Fresno restaurants and their dependence on undocumented workers as cooks, dishwashers and bussers spelled out the facts.
“Restaurants hire undocumented workers every day,” an owner of three restaurants in the area told Clough. “The backbone of our restaurants are undocumented workers.”
Fresno restaurants that hire undocumented workers range from small mom-and-pop eateries to high-end places, Clough reported. Owners say workers without proper documentation are better workers and don’t seem bothered by difficult tasks. Owners can also cut expenses by offering lower wages to undocumented staff, something they say is necessary if they are to survive in today’s economic climate.
An owner told Clough that young American workers ages 16 to 20 often struggle in entry-level restaurant jobs. A dishwasher, she was told, can be expected to clean toilets, fetch silverware or wipe tables at a moment’s notice. Workers who have been shielded from hardship by their parents don’t last long washing dishes, he said.
The work ethic of undocumented employees has also been confirmed by farmers, who have long pointed out that immigrant workers are reliable and skilled enough to do the back-breaking work that many American citizens won’t do.
Without immigrant labor, farmers, restaurant owners and others would have to pony up higher wages for legal workers.
“Get ready for $10 tacos. Get ready for $20 burritos,” a restaurant owner told Clough. “It doesn’t take much to trigger that.”
What is the answer?
Trump signaled at a Cabinet meeting last Thursday that he’d be willing to work with farmers and businesses that depend on undocumented labor. “We have to take care of our farmers, the hotels and, you know, the various places where they tend to, where they tend to need people,” said Trump.
The president gave a concept of a plan.
“So a farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people, saying they’re great, they’re working hard. We’re going to slow it down a little bit for them, and then we’re going to ultimately bring them back,” said Trump. “They’ll go out. They’re going to come back as legal workers.”
That’s not exactly what farmers, hotel owners and restaurateurs want to hear. For too long, they have been dependent on undocumented labor to stay in business. The only solution is fixing the nation’s broken immigration system. Congress was ready to pass a comprehensive plan last year until Trump directed Republican members not to approve the bill because it would eliminate a major part of his campaign’s talking points.
Previous efforts have failed not because they weren’t comprehensive enough, but because of politics. The president and Congress should get serious about supporting a comprehensive immigration plan — unless they want us to pay for a $20 burrito.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM.