President Donald Trump said on Friday that farmers may be able to keep employing undocumented migrant workers without fearing enforcement raids under a system in which they would take "responsibility" for them.
It was not immediately clear how the system would work, and is the latest of several changes of tune regarding the matter.
Trump suggested last week that migrants working in industries like farming would be exempted from enforcement raids given the disproportionate impact that enforcement operations could have in the economy and the industry.
In this context, many immigrants across the country have stopped showing up to work in fear of immigration raids.
A sprawling report by Bloomberg noted that the U.S. workforce shrank in May in part due to a decline in foreign-born workers.
In California's agricultural Ventura County and downtown Los Angeles' Fashion District, some areas have seen large declines in worker attendance following immigration raids.
The LA Fashion District reported a 40% drop in casual visits and a 24% drop in employee attendance since a major ICE operation on June 6. »