Overview
- Texas restaurateurs and business leaders have launched Seat the Table to lobby for temporary work permits for long‑term immigrant workers.
- Owners report deportations and fear thinning staff across restaurants, with some saying current conditions feel worse than during the pandemic.
- The Texas Restaurant Association says about 50% of restaurants were not profitable last year, up from 38% in 2024.
- Texas employers note a heavy reliance on immigrant labor, with estimates suggesting nearly one in ten workers in the state lacks legal status.
- The administration eased H‑2A farm hiring while broader fixes stalled in a Republican‑run Washington, even as the Labor Department warned stricter enforcement could cut about 225,000 farm jobs and strain food supplies.