The number of employed hospitality workers in the U.S. has dropped sharply, in part because of Donald Trump’s immigration policies, which have put a chill on the industry, according to a report from Unite Here, the largest hospitality union in the U.S.

The union, which represents 300,000 workers across the hospitality, food and tourism industries in the U.S. and Canada, said the number of hospitality workers dropped by 98,000 from December 2024 to December 2025. Nearly a third of hospitality workers are immigrants.

The Guardian reports that Union leaders say the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown has not only scared workers but has also discouraged international tourism. The U.S. saw a decline of $1.2 billion ($1.62 billion), or a 5.5% drop, in tourism revenue from September 2024 to September 2025, according to the report.

“If current immigration policies remain in place, conditions in the industry will worsen, threatening not only the workers who sustain it but industries, municipalities and communities that depend on tourism revenue,” said Gwen Mills, President of Unite Here.

A July 2025 report by the Economic Policy Institute found Trump’s deportation goals of 4 million people would result in job losses of 3.3 million for immigrants and 2.6 million for U.S.-born workers.

In an email to the Guardian, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, cited an article that pointed to an 8.9% youth unemployment rate in 2024, saying “there is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force.”