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ICE raids halt Kansas beef processing, threaten higher prices

By Drooid · Sep 25, 2026, 11:33 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

ICE Raids Disrupt Beef

ICE agents raided southwest Kansas, forcing many immigrant workers to stay home and halting beef processing.
Kansas Livestock Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and Texas Cattle Feeders Association warned the raids could raise beef prices.
USDA reported meatpackers slaughtered 90,000 cattle Thursday, 16% fewer than a week earlier.
Industry groups said thousands of fed cattle were delayed, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Summary

Trump Suspends Tariffs

President Donald Trump announced suspension of tariffs and import of 300,000 metric tons of ground beef from Argentina and Brazil.
Executive orders simplify direct-to-consumer meat sales.
Executive orders change labeling rules.
The three cattle associations urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct ICE actions lawfully and transparently.
DHS declined to comment when The Tribune requested a response about the raids.

History

Historical Context

June 1954, the Eisenhower administration, with INS chief Joseph Swing, launched Operation Wetback, recording 232,769 returns and 17,695 removals in the 1955 fiscal year. The sweep followed the Bracero program’s peak of 309,000 contracts and recalled Great-Depression repatriations, illustrating how enforcement cuts farm labor. ICE raids in southwest Kansas now threaten cattle shipments, prompting the Kansas Livestock Association and DHS to act.

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ICE Raids Disrupt Beef

ICE agents raided southwest Kansas, forcing many immigrant workers to stay home and halting beef processing.
Kansas Livestock Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and Texas Cattle Feeders Association warned the raids could raise beef prices.
USDA reported meatpackers slaughtered 90,000 cattle Thursday, 16% fewer than a week earlier.
Industry groups said thousands of fed cattle were delayed, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue.

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