NYT: Nebraska governor’s family business employed undocumented workers while backing ICE crackdown

In this @sciencepolitics.bsky.social piece, Diana Tung (University of Barcelona) and Seth Holmes (UC Berkeley) argue bipartisan legislation that creates pathways to legal status for migrant workers must be passed in order to maintain the country’s food supply. Read their piece. ⤵️

“The agricultural sector in the United States relies on foreign workers; 86 percent of agricultural workers in the United States are foreign-born and 45 percent of all US agricultural workers are undocumented.”

Republicans are lying to the American people about undocumented workers. Undocumented workers inject hundreds of billions of dollars annually into the United States economy through their labor, consumption, and tax contributions.

Today I think about the workers in our farms who have been exploited by farm owners and now hide in the shadows fearful of ICE. They pick our food, build our houses, build our roads. They are illegally hired labor because they are unprotected, undocumented. The law breakers are the US farmers.

Nebraska's Republican Governor Jim Pillen backs Trump & Vance's violent crackdown on undocumented immigrants...while he employs undocumented immigrants.

“Gov. Jim Pillen’s family business is one of the nation’s largest pork producers. As he seeks re-election, he has aligned himself with President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda even though his farms have taken on undocumented laborers.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...

The hypocrisy never ceases to astound me…. As He Backs ICE Crackdown, Nebraska Governor Employs Undocumented Workers www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...

And then like they cant even get workers comp because they like to hire desperate immigrants or undocumented people. And now their finger is gone! Like ugh! In 2010 one guy got his hand shredded and the plant did not stop production. So!!! Deregulation is just bad for everyone. All around.

Immigrant labor for me but not for thee. They're rounding up landscapers and dishwashers but the governor of Nebraska gets all the workers he needs for his hog farms. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...

Exploited labor takes a darker turn amidst climate change in which undocumented and exploited workers fleeing increasingly unlivable conditions are victimized to tend our gardens and paper our roofs. Can’t say now we didn’t see this coming, too many just didn’t or don’t want to believe it.

Americans are incredibly hypocritical about undocumented workers. We are happy to use the low cost labor w no benefits paid out. It's a significant part of our national economy. But then we use these same immigrants as a political punching bag when that is expedient.

I do not understand the subtle message behind the basic facts. But those farmers are getting what they deserve. All of their workers are undocumented immigrants so tons of them are not showing up to work and just fleeing the US. So those farmers are financially going under.

“If you’re going to come and pound on farmers in Minnesota, IA, MO, Nebraska, whatever, and daily raid their farms or their processing plants, you’re going to have some problems politically,” said Al Juhnke. “The farms are right smack dab in the middle of red areas.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...

As He Backs ICE Crackdown, Nebraska Governor Employs Undocumented Workers Gov. Jim Pillens family business, a large pork producer, has employed undocumented laborers despite his alignment with President Trumps anti-immigrant agenda.

Ah, yes. The hypocrisy of Republicans. Also It's a disgusting business; raising pigs in confinement barns is inhumane.