Donald Trump’s immigration policies are taking a toll on the hospitality industry, where nearly three-quarters of workers are immigrants, according to the largest hospitality union in the US.
According to a report from Unite Here, which represents 300,000 workers in the hospitality, food and tourism industries in the US and Canada, the number of employed hospitality workers will decrease by 98,000 from December 2024 to December 2025.
Union leaders say the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown has not only scared off workers but also discouraged international tourism. According to the report, the US sees a $1.2bn or 5.5% drop in tourism revenue from September 2024 to September 2025.
“We need immigrant workers. They’re an important part of our workforce. They’re my constituents, they’re my neighbors, and the way they’ve been treated at this point is truly disgusting,” said Wade Luneberg, political director of Unite Here Local 17 in Minneapolis.
Because of the federal government’s immigration crackdown, “many of our members are afraid to go to work,” Luneberg said. Luneberg said immigration enforcement detained 16 airport employees earlier this year. “These are workers who are authorized to work and have passed TSA background checks,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House have not commented on the immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) takeover of these members.
Even as Minnesota tries to recover from Operation Metro Surge, Trump’s immigration policies — from repealing Temporary Protected Status, to expanding travel visa bans, to detaining tourists — have slowed tourism across the US.
According to a report by Unite Hears, international visitors to the US will decrease by 2.5 million in 2025, despite an increase in international tourism worldwide.
Luneberg said the regional decline of Canadian tourism to Minnesota has led to a 15% decline in total international air travelers to Minnesota by 2025, and Canadians attending the World Junior Hockey Championships have recently dropped. Small businesses in Minneapolis reported up to $81 million in lost revenue in January 2026.
Gwen Mills, president of Unite Here, said during a panel introducing the report last week that “the economic consequences of what’s happening are far reaching, not just for migrants and their families.” “Violence on the streets in our major cities, anti-immigrant rhetoric, panic, which discourages domestic travel, which discourages foreign visitors to the United States.”
Other cities are showing a slowdown. In 2025, Washington DC saw a record number of restaurant closings, while restaurant openings slowed by 30%. Meanwhile, tourism in Las Vegas is projected to drop 7.5% in 2025.
Shalia Taylor, a guest room attendant in Las Vegas, said in the report, “You can feel that business has slowed down.”
“People are spending less, and some of my colleagues who rely on tips are seeing a real drop,” Taylor said.
Mona Moley, a hotel housekeeper in Atlantic City, New Jersey, said during the panel that the immigration crackdown has left many of her colleagues, adding to the workload for her and the rest of the workforce.
“We don’t have the staff we need and no one applies,” Molly said.
According to a July 2025 report by the Economic Policy Institute, Trump’s goals of deporting 4 million people would result in the loss of 3.3 million jobs to immigrants and 2.6 million to U.S.-born workers.
But the policies are also creating fear among US citizens. Greg Barney, a line cook at St. Anselm in Washington DC, said the restaurant has seen a significant drop in visitors.
“I wasn’t afraid of getting picked myself, but a lot of my close friends were, and everybody, all my colleagues, regardless of whether they were born here or not, could feel that fear and that tension, and it was hard on all of us,” Barney said during the panel.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Guardian, “If there was any correlation between rampant illegal immigration and a good economy, Biden would have a booming economy.
“Getting these criminals off the streets makes communities safer and more welcoming to business owners, customers and tourists,” she added.
In an email to the Guardian, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, citing a report that pointed to an 8.9% youth unemployment rate in 2024, said, “There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our workforce.”
