Pennsylvania ICE Arrests Raise Labor Concerns Across US Dairy Industry
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 17 migrant workers connected to a poultry logistics and transport operation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The action brought renewed attention to labour exposure in agriculture across the Mid-Atlantic and prompted panels at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dairy operators and legal specialists at the event said that enforcement activity can create immediate staffing problems for farms. Glenn “GT” Thompson, a Republican representative from Pennsylvania and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, was among those discussing the issue. He said sudden interruptions to farm labour could affect operations from milking facilities through processors and retail distribution.
Dairy farms differ from seasonal crop operations because they require continuous work throughout the year. Employees manage milking, animal health and feed preparation around the clock. Walt Moore, who owns Walmoore Holsteins in Chester County, Pennsylvania, described potential effects on herd management and the wider food chain. Disrupted milking can increase the risk of udder disease, including clinical mastitis, while milk that is not collected can interfere with processing schedules.
Brad Wilson, president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, said the sudden loss of employees can make it harder for producers to provide timely animal care and maintain routine farm work. Labour shortages can also affect milk haulers, bottling facilities and cheese plants. Regional farms that cannot preserve normal milking and cooling schedules may reduce the volume and timing of deliveries, leaving processors operating below capacity and increasing processing costs.
Legal advisers urged farm employers to prepare procedures before an enforcement action occurs. Misty Wilson Borkowski, an immigration-law partner at Hall, Booth and Smith, said operators should understand the rules governing access by immigration officers. Recommended steps include marking public and private parts of a property, appointing staff members to communicate with officials and training employees to use consistent responses. Private areas such as maintenance shops, milking parlours and offices generally require a judicial warrant signed by a judge for law-enforcement access, rather than an administrative immigration warrant, according to the legal guidance presented.
The discussions also focused on the federal H-2A temporary agricultural-worker programme. Current rules limit the programme to seasonal agricultural jobs, leaving year-round dairy and livestock businesses outside its scope for the legal recruitment of foreign guest workers. Thompson said the framework should be revised to cover permanent dairy employment. Dairy representatives said that without a legal route for experienced foreign workers, enforcement activity could continue to disrupt operations and place financial pressure on the US dairy supply chain as 2027 approaches.
