Washington apple producer discusses impact of Trump’s policies on industry

The Trump administration announced last week it is expanding a fast-track deportation authority nationwide, allowing immigration officers to deport migrants without appearing before a judge as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on a sweeping agenda of removing everyone who is in the U.S. illegally.

The administration said it is expanding the use of “expedited removal” authority so it can be used across the country.

But how will mass deportations affect industries using migrant workers?

VP of Crunch Pak discusses Trump’s impact on apple industry

Tony Freytag is the executive vice president of Crunch Pak — the largest producer of fresh-cut, sliced apples in the U.S. He joined John Curley, host of “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, Wednesday to talk about how Trump’s changing policies could impact Washington’s apple industry.

Freytag’s company processes apples from Cashmere and employs more than 400 workers. John asked about the hiring process and the challenges of ensuring a legal workforce, especially given concerns about undocumented workers in the agricultural industry.

“We have a very rigorous HR department,” Freytag explained. “They are trained to recognize documents that might not be legitimate. It’s important for us to pre-screen carefully. We don’t want disruptions, and we don’t want our workers worried about ICE walking through the door. We take it very seriously.”

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John pressed further, asking if the recent deportations had affected operations.

“We have a very vigorous human resources department that is trained by either our own staff, by accountants, by any number of other methodologies to recognize documents that don’t look appropriate,” Freytag responded. “They may look appropriate to me because I’m not down there. They may look appropriate to you, but they recognize the small differences that, at times, people will present. So we clear that very early on. We simply look at it and say, ‘Hey, look we don’t believe that these are appropriate, so if you could go back and get the appropriate documents or get them reissued then we’re happy to talk with you’ and so then we just pre-screen. We’re very careful.”

H-2A program regarding Washington’s apple industry

Switching gears, John asked, “Pickers come in with a federal permit that allows them sort of seasonal work, and then do they return home again?”

Freytag said those people are brought in through the H-2A program, which allows U.S. employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs.

“People are brought in through the H-2A program, they are vetted by the H-2A agency, by the government,” he explained. “They’re provided with income. They’re provided with transportation to the United States while they’re here. They have housing, food allowances, the whole nine yards and then at the end of the season, they go back. It’s all very regulated as far as the system and that is the vast majority of the agricultural workers that come up here in the fall, late summer and fall, for harvesting.”

John then speculated on the economic impact of mass deportations.

“If they do a mass deportation, do you think if you remove a million people that are working in jobs, that could have a direct effect upon the U.S. economy, in that you’ll have to replace those workers with somebody else that might want to be paid more, right?” he asked.

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Freytag agreed that it could have widespread effects but added from his understanding that Trump’s administration is only going after criminals.

“I think it affects it at multiple levels,” shared. “I’m originally from Texas, so if you take some of the border towns in Texas and what they say that the immigration efforts have brought to those cities, now you stop that, then that will have an effect in that area. So, yeah, you start taking out millions of people, that will have an effect. But my understanding, from what I see and what I hear and read, is that the effort is to make sure that we’re getting rid of people that are offenders and I don’t mean just from an immigration standpoint. They’re offenders because of felonies, because of various crimes and so that’s the way that I understand the law and how they are enforcing it at this time.”

Before wrapping up, John asked about this year’s apple crop.

“They’re beautiful, as good, or better than ever because they come from Washington,” Freytag assured him.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.

Listen to John Curley on “The John Curley Show” weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.