US Immigration Crackdown Threatens Hospitality Jobs

The largest US hospitality workers union, UNITE HERE, has argued that immigration enforcement measures introduced by the Trump administration are negatively affecting tourism demand and, as a result, employment opportunities across the hotel and hospitality sector.

The union published a report titled “Inhospitable,” which claims that current immigration actions are causing financial harm while also generating fear and uncertainty among workers regardless of their legal or immigration status.

UNITE HERE represents approximately 300,000 active members across the US and Canada, with most members employed in hotels, restaurants, food services, casinos, and warehouses.

Economic ripple effects across workers and communities

UNITE HERE’s President Gwen Mills emphasized that the hospitality sector relies heavily on both immigrant and US-born workers, and that policy changes are now creating instability across the workforce. She warned that if current immigration enforcement approaches continue, the situation could deteriorate further, potentially affecting not only employees but also hotel operators, local governments, and communities that depend on tourism-related revenue.

Mills also highlighted concerns about the administration’s decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, stating that this has already produced negative consequences for hospitality businesses that rely on stable labor markets. The union argues that industry leaders and policymakers need to intervene to protect both economic activity and jobs tied to tourism.

Declining international travel adds to industry concerns

At the same time, broader tourism data suggests that the US travel sector is already facing headwinds. International visitor numbers to the country fell again in January 2026, marking the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Non-US citizen air arrivals reached 4.6 million during the month, representing a 4.8 percent decrease compared with January of the previous year.

These figures indicate that inbound travel demand has only recovered to 87.4 percent of January 2019 levels, demonstrating that the US continues to trail its pre-pandemic performance in attracting overseas visitors. The combination of declining visitor numbers and labor market disruptions could create additional pressure on hospitality employment in the coming months.

Photo by Steven Abraham on Unsplash