Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairs a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Dec. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
"Listen, the president’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support," Rollins said.
Rollins then promised to help Trump execute his agenda while also "defending" American farmers and ranchers.
"But when you’re talking about massive deportation, we’ve gone beyond dangerous criminals," Durbin said. "I just wonder if we ought to give fair warning to farmers and ranchers across America that if you have immigrant labor, you can expect federal agents to come and search your property."
"I have not been involved in the president’s current plan, I cannot answer that one way or the other," Rollins said.
Trump has promised to take an aggressive approach to border security and illegal immigration, and the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice Tuesday to green-light expedited deportation of illegal immigrants.
‘PROMPT REMOVAL’: TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP
Brooke Rollins, President Trump's nominee for secretary of agriculture, testifies before a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on Jan. 23, 2025. (Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters)
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also voiced concerns about how farmers will fare should Trump follow through on his plans to implement tariffs. Trump’s economic plan calls for imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 20% on all imported goods.
When Trump’s first administration imposed tariffs, China issued its own retaliatory tariffs that cost the federal government billions of dollars in government aid to farmers.
"I’m trepidacious that this is going to come back to our farmers," Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said.
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"My commitment is that there will be no sleeping, that we will work around the clock to ensure that our AG communities across this country are represented in those discussions and at the table," Rollins said.
Rollins previously worked as the director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term. After working for the Trump administration, Rollins co-founded the America First Policy Institute think tank.
The secretary of the Agriculture Department is responsible for managing farm and nutrition, forestry, food safety, rural development and agricultural research.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-ask-trump-usda-pick-who-do-backbreaking-farming-amid-mass-deportations