*

Trump wants a 100% American workforce, Rollins says

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Farm sector has warned deportations would disrupt food

supply

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USDA to curb purchases of farmland by foreign entities

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China says practice is 'discriminatory'

(Story first published on July 8 has been updated to add

Chinese foreign ministry comment made on July 9 in paragraphs

12-13)

By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture

Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that there will be "no

amnesty" for agricultural workers as President Donald Trump's

administration moves to deport all immigrants in the country

illegally.

Rollins said the administration wants a 100% American

workforce and suggested some people receiving government aid

could replace immigrant workers.

"Ultimately, the answer on this is automation, also some

reform within the current governing structure. And then also,

when you think about, there are 34 million able-bodied adults in

our Medicaid program. There are plenty of workers in America,"

she said at a press conference outside the Department of

Agriculture headquarters.

Most adults on Medicaid work full- or part-time or are not

working due to illness or disability, caregiving, or school

attendance, according to a May brief by the health policy

organization KFF.

The farm sector has warned that mass deportation of farm

workers would disrupt the U.S. food supply. In June, the Trump

administration signaled it might pause raids on some farm work

sites. It has since reversed course.

Trump's tax-cut and spending bill, passed on July 3,

introduces work requirements for Medicaid, which the

Congressional Budget Office has said is expected to leave nearly

12 million people uninsured.

Later on Tuesday, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer

said at a cabinet meeting at the White House that the Department

of Labor had developed a new office to work with farmers and

ranchers, but did not provide more details.

The Labor Department oversees the H-2A program, which

provides seasonal visas for agricultural workers.

FARMLAND PURCHASE CURBS?

Rollins also said at the press conference that the USDA

will curb farmland purchases by "foreign adversaries," including

China, and terminate agreements and contracts with people and

entities from those countries.

Asked about land already owned by Chinese-owned companies

Syngenta and Smithfield Foods ( SFD ), Rollins said the

administration is still considering its options.

"You'll likely see an executive order on this very soon from

the White House and we'll be looking at multiple different

authorities within the federal government to begin to claw that

back," Rollins said.

China's foreign ministry on Wednesday called the United

States' move "discriminatory," generalizing national security

and depriving organizations and citizens from certain countries

of the right to purchase land and real estate.

"We urge the U.S. side to immediately stop politicizing

economic, trade and investment issues," ministry spokesperson

Mao Ning said.

In 2023, Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell 160 acres (65

hectares) of farmland under a state law barring some foreign

entities from acquiring or holding land.

Twenty-six states limit or ban foreign businesses,

governments or nationals from owning private farmland, according

to the National Agricultural Law Center, and some of those laws

have faced legal challenges.

Only about 3.4% of U.S. farmland is owned by foreign

entities, and Canada owns the largest share, about 30%,

according to the USDA.

Rollins said she will be a member of the Committee on

Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, "as of this

afternoon." The interagency body reviews foreign investments in

the U.S. for national security threats.

Bipartisan lawmakers have supported limits on ownership of

farmland by foreign countries, citing national security

concerns.