Regardless of your political affiliation, one thing holds true right now: President Trump’s blitzkrieg approach to the start of his administration is having the shocking effect it was meant to convey. The string of executive orders issued from the White House has been so fast and so far-reaching, that it can be hard to keep up with what is occurring. As we began writing this opinion, Canada was still facing a near-immediate inception of 25% tariffs on its exports to the U.S.; by the time we finished this paragraph, they, like Mexico the day prior, had been granted at least a 30-day reprieve from the tariffs that could spark a trade war.
If you thought eggs were too expensive while you were deliberating your votes in November, wait until your beloved avocado toast is subject to an additional 25% fee for the import of those avocados from Mexico. Those costs most certainly will be passed onto the consumer of said toast. And eggs? A shortage of agricultural workers — and agricultural products — can be exacerbated by immigration raids and another shutdown of even the legal forms of immigration, as happened during the first Trump presidency. Then imagine what it might be like if Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the president’s pick for health secretary, has his way and pauses infectious disease research for eight years, which could stymie research into vaccines that stand to combat bird flu — the main driver of the high cost of eggs right now.
But if these things are too abstract for the average person — too removed from the day-to-day lives of Central Oregonians — then there are plenty of overwhelming movements to consider locally as well. The administration’s immigration policies will not only affect the agricultural sector, but the construction sector as well, meaning a potential uptick in home prices that are already too high for many to afford the purchase of a home in Bend, Redmond and the rest of Central Oregon.
Recent activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — some of it allegedly involving people who were admitted into the U.S. through legal, Biden-era programs — is having a chilling effect on the local economy. Information is spreading by word of mouth and social media about immigrants “on the books” being picked up, and that forces others into hiding — not shopping at stores, not participating in local activities or otherwise engaging with the local economy. Several local businesses participated in a Day Without Immigrants on Feb. 3, shuttering their businesses in a demonstration of the contributions of immigrants. That impacts the businesses themselves, and also those who depend on migrants for goods and services.
Federal employees — those involved in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion activities, and even those who aren’t — are fearful for their jobs, making them, too, slow their spending in anticipation of layoffs. The instability ripples to the businesses that depend on a high level of consumer confidence in order to keep the lights on. The effects begin to hit every type of business, everywhere.
And to think that some voters this November were largely motivated by the mere price of eggs.
As journalists with our ears to the ground of what is happening locally, we are just beginning to understand what these impacts mean, how it might affect local communities and what the long-lasting effects of trade wars, potential pauses to government grants and immigration policies will be. These stories are just beginning to show up after the blitzkrieg, and will continue to show up in the pages of this newspaper. (The cost of paper, as it turns out, could rise exponentially in cost if tariffs from Canada do indeed go into place.)
But one thing is clear: All of this is going to go far beyond eggs and avocado toast.
This article appears in The Source Weekly February 6, 2025.
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100! This hits the nail on the head.
Journalists are also at risk, thanks for continuing to report!
https://news.yahoo.com/america-first-diet-…
A silver lining may emerge. Big Ag and other industries, including individuals slipping cash under the table for nannies and gardeners, have long undercut the labor market and its ability to negotiate with bosses.
Same with temporary visa holders who cross the border to work here cheaply, then bring home that money—less than what someone needs to support a family here in the U.S. (A good article on how this affects Oregonians over the years: https://www.hcn.org/issues/49-18/timber-ho… )
The reality is that Americans enjoy a seemingly endless assortment of foods at prices that do not reflect the true cost of growing, raising, harvesting, processing, and butchering the plants and animals involved—in addition to the Ag and Food industries’ effects on the environment.
My hope is that genuine immigration reform may result from the Trump administration lashing out at undocumented immigrants and those who would have been considered to be here “illegally” prior to the Biden administration opening the doors to anyone who’s been told to use the word “asylum” at the border. My hope is that this eventual reform will involve politicians from Dem, Repub, and other parties, and that Big Ag and its allies will be forced to pay people decent wages and offer decent living conditions for temporary workers.
A chilling effect? Hasn’t done a thing to me yet, nor will it. If avocados are too expensive for you then don’t eat them. Ditto eggs. I can buy eggs at Costco or Trader Joe’s for under $5 (and even $4) a dozen. My wife makes a dozen eggs last three weeks. So what does work out to? An extra 50 cents a week for something that’s a want, not a need? Big deal.