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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has warned that President Donald Trump's flagship deportation program could lead to higher food prices for Americans, leaving farms deserted. "For all of the people who cast a vote based on grocery prices and inflation, if you think your groceries are expensive now, wait until the farms are empty," she said on the "Latino USA" podcast on Sunday. Experts told Newsweek that mass deportations will hit the construction, agriculture, and hospitality industries the hardest, as well as the manufacturing and landscaping industries. Trump's mass removal policy could impose a staggering one-time cost of $315 billion on the U.S., according to the American Immigration Council. Deporting 1 million people a year could cost up to $88 billion annually. Agricultural output will fall between $30 and $60 billion if Trump's flagship policy is carried out, according to the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC). According to Pew Research, approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S. The majority have no criminal record, and their circumstances differ widely, ranging from asylum seekers who crossed the border to individuals who originally entered on a tourist visa but overstayed.

Agricultural output will fall between $30 and $60 billion if Trump's flagship policy is carried out, according to the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC). Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on the "Latino USA" podcast Sunday: "But let's be clear, the people who are voting in this way oftentimes don't respond to a case of compassion and humanity." "If you think houses are expensive now, wait until there's no one building them. If you think that having someone in your home to take care of your ailing mother or grandmother while you have to go out and earn an honest living while you're at work, if you think that's expensive now, wait until that immigrant workforce is gone. Understand the consequences of what this means because for America to not accept immigrants is the definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face." Rebecca Shi, Executive Director of ABIC, told Newsweek: "If mass deportations really overreach, there's going to be just serious disruptions to our economy."