Trump DHS officials met with the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition at the department’s Washington headquarters on July 5, the first reported meeting since the president’s return to the White House. The coalition, which includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other trade groups reliant on immigrant labor, said it has sought greater access to DHS since ICE arrests rose sharply last year. Officials said they want regular talks to evaluate the effect of the administration’s large-scale deportation efforts on businesses. The meeting, which did not alter enforcement policy, included ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel and was described as cordial and constructive by attendees. DHS spokesperson declined to comment; coalition members also declined to speak publicly. Arrests have more than quadrupled since Trump took office, driven by increased traffic stops, workplace sweeps and other public actions, according to the Deportation Data Project. Sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, construction, health care and elder care report labor shortages that threaten economic activity. Former secretary Kristi L. Noem dismissed these concerns while overseeing enforcement that drew bipartisan criticism after agents shot two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January. Trump removed Noem in March and appointed Senator Markwayne Mullin, a former plumbing company owner, as DHS secretary. Mullin brought Senate staffers with business ties to the agency and has tried to improve relations with industry. While DHS officials said work‑site enforcement remains a cornerstone for public safety and national security, they also pledged to engage stakeholders to mitigate negative economic impacts. The agency has temporarily paused traffic‑stop arrests after two recent shootings of undocumented individuals, a decision reversed the next day by Trump. ICE is on track to make more than 1,400 arrests per day in July, the highest monthly total since Trump’s return. DHS agreed to delay a rule requiring green‑card applicants to leave the United States and to expand a guest‑worker visa program for the dairy industry after intensive lobbying. The administration also extended work‑permit protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and other nationals who lost temporary protected status after a Supreme Court ruling, a move business groups credited with influencing the decision. Industry leaders say they continue to push for broader guest‑worker visas and a pathway to legal status for the estimated eight million undocumented workers, a goal opposed by much of Trump’s base. Construction raids in South Texas have increased dramatically since Mullin replaced Noem, according to the South Texas Builders Association. Mullin faces the challenge of meeting Trump’s goal to deport a million people annually while limiting political backlash.