Pressure on Meat Processing Companies Amid Immigration Cuts
Recent cuts to immigration under President Trump are leading major meat processing firms to enhance wages as they navigate challenges from a new wave of low-wage immigrants under President Biden.
Following a notable strike by immigrant workers at the JBS slaughterhouse in Greeley, Colorado, the company announced it would raise wages, provide cash bonuses, and offer improved benefits alongside a retirement plan. They noted that since 2019, hourly wages at the Greeley facility have seen an increase of around 46%, surpassing the 25% inflation rate in Northern Colorado during that time. This change reflects roughly a 16% lift in real income for workers.
The union, however, disputes JBS’s claims, stating that since late 2021, wages have only risen by 7% despite health insurance costs jumping nearly 40%. They argue that JBS previously sought to limit wage growth but was then forced into last-minute increases to address ongoing unrest.
According to Kim Cordova, the Local President of the United Food and Commercial Workers, workers are determined to continue fighting until JBS halts unfair labor practices, respects their rights, and offers contracts that ensure a living wage.
Reflecting on past changes, in June 2025, JBS had to implement raises, sick leave, and a pension plan for 26,000 employees in Iowa after President Trump limited new immigration. Thelma Cruz, who works at the JBS pork plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, expressed her excitement about the pension plan, mentioning that both she and her husband would benefit from it upon retirement.
In recent years, wage increases have been dampened by a coalition of corporate lobbyists and pro-immigration advocates. For instance, agricultural lobbyists successfully urged President Trump to limit enforcement actions that targeted meat processing operations.
Historically, meat processing companies have received encouragement from federal policies to recruit workers from poorer nations through both legal and illegal means. This often led to imported workers accepting lower wages and facing precarious working conditions, which has been compounded by the influx of illegal immigrants.
Currently, many JBS workers in Greeley are immigrants from countries like Haiti, Somalia, Burma, and Mexico, which includes a mix of legal refugees, unauthorized immigrants, and temporary permit holders. A magazine report highlighted that, as of 2020, about 80-90% of workers at the Greeley plant were born outside the U.S.
Mark Krikorian from the Center for Immigration Studies noted that various activist groups have received federal funds to facilitate the employment of migrants in the meatpacking industry, creating a workforce that often struggles to secure fair wages or improved working conditions.
As a Brazilian multinational, JBS aims to maximize stock prices while minimizing costs, including labor expenses. During Trump’s tenure, the company sought to counter wage increases by investing in labor-saving technologies.
An example of this investment is a new $135 million sausage factory in Iowa, expected to produce around 130 million pounds of sausage annually with a workforce of approximately 500. JBS hopes this technology will enhance productivity, giving workers less bargaining power over their compensation.
Krikorian also pointed out that left-wing organizations facilitating refugee resettlement without understanding economic ramifications have inadvertently contributed to the issues within the meat processing sector, creating a labor pool that lacks the ability to demand better conditions.
Investors, worried about a tightening labor market due to Trump’s immigration policies, highlight the potential economic consequences. They warn that reducing immigration could inflate costs in housing and food, arguing that the U.S. should continue to welcome skilled workers and those willing to take on essential jobs.
Amid these dynamics, progressive narratives seem to overshadow workers’ rights, often prioritizing broader cultural discussions while not addressing economic needs by extracting labor from underprivileged countries.
