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Food prices are rising again, and although there are many reasons for the increase, President Donald Trump’s border policy Emerging as a factor.
The president campaigned on a tough border and imposed a ban on deportations and unauthorized border crossings when he returned to office, which has led to rising grocery prices. This way.
What’s really happening to grocery prices?
Americans are again paying higher food prices. According to latest data US Department of AgricultureFood prices were 2.7% higher in March 2026 compared to March 2025. Additionally, according to the USDA, food prices are expected to increase by 2.9%. The extra difference you are paying is for several reasons.
- High labor costs and shortage of agricultural workers.
- Extreme weather and livestock diseases.
- Iran conflict – closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused prices of fuel, transport and fertilizer to rise.
The first factor, labor, is where Trump’s immigration policy comes into play.
How Trump’s border and immigration policies affect food costs
Farmers generally rely on immigrant workers, including undocumented labor, which accounts for about 50%, according to USDA. With the labor pool drastically reduced by government policy, higher prices emerge as there are fewer workers, production becomes more expensive and supply becomes tighter.
Under Trump’s policy, three things are happening simultaneously that are contributing to upward pressure on grocery prices:
1. Mass deportation
The raids and aggressive enforcement of the policy have driven away or intimidated agricultural workers, leading to declines in farming, dairy, seafood, and food processing. Guardian Informed. There is no concrete data on how many agricultural workers have been deported; However, axios It was reported that 442,000 people were deported in fiscal year 2025, although not all worked in food-related industries.
2. Labor shortage
Mass deportations have pushed farmers to breaking point. US Department of Labor Self has warned that the “almost complete cessation of the influx of illegal aliens” threatens “the stability of domestic food production and prices for American consumers.”
Additionally, former USDA officials wrote a letter detailing how the policy was “wreaking havoc” on dairy, fruit and produce, and meat processing, leading to food waste and “raising the cost of food for consumers,” the report said. new York Times.
3. Policy lash on the legal guest-worker program (H-2A)
While undocumented workers are being deported, the administration has made changes to the H-2A visa program to make it easier and less expensive for farms to hire temporary foreign workers. however, Economic Policy Institute Notes that farmers could lose more than $3 billion in annual revenues because suppressed wages do not make up the shortfall.
This matters because the mix of policies directly affects how much food is produced, how reliably it gets to stores and how much you pay for it.
ground level
Although Trump’s immigration policy is not the only contributing factor to the sticker at the grocery store, it is not helping.
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