California Republicans called on President Donald Trump to scale back Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting illegal immigrants without criminal records who are working in industries heavily reliant on migrant labor.

Although Trump has expressed sympathy for industries such as the hospitality and farming sectors that have been hard hit by ICE raids targeting illegal immigrant laborers, immigration enforcement operations have continued in California, which is the country’s largest agricultural base. While the White House appeared to temporarily rescind orders for ICE to target such workers for deportation last month, raids picked up again days later amid the Trump administration’s vow to eliminate “safe spaces for industries who … purposely try to undermine ICE’s effort.”

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Six Republicans in the California legislature have responded to ICE’s activity with a letter to Trump calling for federal agents to scale back raids targeting nonviolent illegal immigrants. Additionally, the GOP lawmakers requested modernizations to the system that allows noncriminal illegal immigrants “with longstanding ties to our communities” a path toward legal status while calling on the White House to prioritize immigration reform that would make it easier for people to enter the country legally under federal guest worker programs.

Their letter comes as protests against ICE in California turned into riots in Los Angeles last month, leading Trump to authorize the deployment of thousands of National Guard members and Marines into the city to quell violence.

“Unfortunately, the recent ICE workplace raids on farms, at construction sites, and in restaurants and hotels, have led to unintended consequences that are harming the communities we represent and the businesses that employ our constituents,” the lawmakers wrote. “We have heard from employers in our districts that recent ICE raids are not only targeting undocumented workers, but also creating widespread fear among other employees, including those with legal immigration status. This fear is driving vital workers out of critical industries.” 

“From construction to hospitality to food processing, California’s employers are struggling to fill positions. Legal, temporary labor should be easier to access and better tailored to support a strong California economy,” the lawmakers added, noting that the Golden State’s “tight labor market” is “strangling businesses here — many of which may not be able to operate much longer.”

“We urge you to direct ICE and DHS to focus their enforcement operations on criminal immigrants, and when possible to avoid the kinds of sweeping raids that instill fear and disrupt the workplace,” the letter concludes.

State Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, Sens. Suzette Valladares and Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, and Assemblymembers Laurie Davies, Heath Flora, and Diane Dixon signed the letter.

The lawmakers’ request to Trump follows recent ICE raids in California that residents say have left them struggling to operate their businesses due to a loss of migrant labor.

DHS TELLS ICE TO TARGET FARM AND HOTEL WORKERS AGAIN

“In the fields, I would say 70% of the workers are gone,” Lisa Tate, a sixth-generation farmer in Ventura County, told Reuters on Monday. “If 70% of your workforce doesn’t show up, 70% of your crop doesn’t get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don’t want to do this work. Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust.”

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office, estimated that roughly 40% of farmworkers in the United States are in the country illegally. Losing them will cause price hikes for consumers, he told the outlet, suggesting that ICE’s move to target such laborers “is bad for supply chains [and] bad for the agricultural industry.”