The Trump administration says people on Medicaid should help fill the gap left by deported farmworkers.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters Tuesday that President Trump’s immigration crackdown won’t hurt American farms — because machines and Medicaid recipients can take over. Ironically, most Medicaid recipients live in counties that strongly support Trump.
“There’s been a lot of noise in the last few days and a lot of questions about where the president stands and his vision for farm labor,” Rollins said at a press conference with Republican governors. “Ultimately, the answer on this is automation, also some reform within the current governing structure, and then also, when you think about there are 34 million able-bodied adults in our Medicaid program, there are plenty of workers in America.”
This comes just days after Trump signed a bill that adds new work requirements for Medicaid — a program that provides health coverage for low-income Americans, including pregnant women, parents, and the disabled. Under Trump’s new law, for the first time ever, Medicaid recipients will have to work to keep their coverage. The rules are expected to kick in nationwide by the end of 2026.
Right now, people in 40 states and Washington, D.C., can qualify for Medicaid if they earn up to about $20,700 a year for a single person, or $43,000 for a family of four.
Critics say many Medicaid recipients already work or are unable to. But Rollins sees it differently. She said these people can help take the place of undocumented workers who are being targeted in mass deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump’s immigration raids have hit farms, factories, and hotels hard — all industries that rely heavily on migrant labor. Some business owners and labor advocates have raised red flags, warning that the country’s food supply could be at risk.
Trump has hinted he might let some undocumented farmworkers stay, but only under strict rules.
“What we’re going to do is we’re going to do something for farmers where we can let the farmer sort of be in charge,” Trump said on Fox News. “The farmer knows he’s not going to hire a murderer.”
Rollins, however, made it clear there will be no path to legal status for undocumented workers under Trump.
“The president has been unequivocal that there will be no amnesty, and I think that’s very, very important,” she said.
She also said the administration’s top priority is to protect the U.S. food supply — even as it pushes ahead with deportations.
“[Trump] has always been of the mindset that at the end of the day, the promise to America to ensure that we have a 100 percent American workforce stands,” Rollins said. “But we must be strategic in how we are implementing the mass deportation so as not to compromise our food supply.”
“We just have to make sure we’re not compromising today, especially in the context of everything we’re thinking about right now,” she added.
