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Trump's border crackdown prompts Arizona farmer to seek better agricultural labor solutions

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Trump's border crackdown prompts Arizona farmer to seek better agricultural labor solutions

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An Arizona farmer is pushing for a more functional approach to the hiring of skilled labor in agriculture amid President Donald Trump’s border crackdown, telling Fox News Digital that the current system is sowing fear among Hispanic workers.

During a visit to the remote, mountainous landscape of Dudleyville, Ariz., farmer Scott Heartquist expressed a desire for more collaboration between business owners, workers, and immigration authorities to find practical solutions that address labor needs — while also upholding the law of the United States.

“There’s a humanitarian side that everybody’s like, ‘I feel for them,’” Heartquist said, referencing skilled workers looking to enter the country. “And I even understand that our system isn’t set up for them to easily come in.”

TRUMP PITCHES PLAN ALLOWING FARMERS TO VOUCH FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WORKERS FACING DEPORTATION

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Farmer Scott Heartquist hopes that the immigration system and process to obtain visas for workers will become easier under President Trump. (Fox News Digital)

While some farmers have experienced issues with migrants trespassing on or stealing from their properties, Heartquist said his personal relationship with and support for the Hispanic community has allowed him to run his business without issue.

“Immigration is such a touchy subject and, you know, we were just talking about it — my staff. They’re all legal, but a good portion of the people in the community aren’t. And so, we see it, we have it around. We have much less of an issue with it now,” he continued.

The family farm began on a small piece of land in Arizona. After surviving bone cancer, Scott Heartquist’s wife, Christie, worked with her husband to teach their children where their food comes from by growing and raising a healthy meat supply.

The family operates its own inspected processing plant at the ranch, providing hormone-free, steroid-free, vaccine-free, and antibiotic-free grass-fed and grass-finished beef, pork, and lamb to locals.

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The Heartquist family has cultivated not just a solid business but also a close-knit commune. Several family members and staff live on the Heartquist Hollow Farm property in Dudleyville — often sharing fresh meals and stories after a hard day’s work.

TRUMP ‘WORKING ON’ DEPORTATION EXEMPTIONS FOR ILLEGAL FARM AND HOSPITALITY WORKERS

A staff member tends to a group of sheep at Heartquist Hollow farm. These sheep are one of several sources of food for the family and business.  (Fox News Digital)

During a warm summer’s evening dinner, Saúl Márquez, a butcher at the farm, said he is thankful that the family has provided good working conditions and strong benefits to their immigrant workers.

Márquez also praised God for allowing his daughter to flourish as a citizen in the U.S. — a milestone that helped him and his wife obtain permanent residency three years ago.

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“My friends say that you earn very well here. So, you risk coming here illegally because it’s the American dream. It’s the American dream. And everyone is going to take a risk. Before, it was easy, now it’s not easy,” he told Fox News Digital.

He also recommended that immigrants explore legal pathways to come to the U.S., such as work visas for farm jobs, rather than trying to enter illegally — stressing that the current political climate has heightened concerns among both documented and undocumented Hispanic workers.

CRITICS SOUND OFF AGAINST TRUMP’S ‘TEMPORARY PASS’ FOR MIGRANT FARM, HOSPITALITY WORKERS

Two cows graze on a pile of grass at Heartquist Hollow Farm in Dudleyville, Arizona.  (Fox News Digital)

“You hear a lot of things about the new administration,” Márquez said. “We are, and the people are, very scared. Because I have friends and family who, unfortunately, do not have documents yet. So right now, there is a lot of fear with this administration that people do not want to go out to the stores.”

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A combination of factors — including labor shortages for meat cutters and the cumbersome process of obtaining visas — has made it difficult for the Heartquists to hire workers with the skill set needed to provide the community with a wide range of grass-fed, pasture-raised meats.

Heartquist claimed that many of these issues stem from the Obama administration.

“You had some abuses going on in some areas, and instead of dealing with the individual abuses, they just cut visas. And so, they made it more challenging for us to get the visas,” he said.

TRUMP URGES ‘TEMPORARY PASS’ FROM IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN FOR KEY INDUSTRIES: ‘I CHERISH OUR FARMERS’

Saul Márquez told Fox News Digital that documented and undocumented workers are fearful under the new administration.  (Fox News Digital)

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“I can tell you right now, there are 16-and-17-year-olds in Mexico and Central America that are cutting meat. To be able to bring them in, give them more training, teach them food safety issues, and all of those pieces would be amazing. We just can’t. It’s not built into our system,” Heartquist continued.

Without a more robust system and discussions about the potential to bring in workers from other countries to fill these labor needs, Heartquist predicted that immigration issues will continue to proliferate.

“We’re going to have mass deportations that are going to happen right now. The administration will change in three years,” he said. “Maybe it’ll still be strict on the border, maybe it won’t, and so we’ll have another onslaught, another flood of people coming in. The problem that we face is… There’s a small portion of that community that’s really just not good people, and it gets bled out onto the whole community and that’s not fair.”

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Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect

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Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect

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A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. outside Connie’s Seafood Market Restaurant, the Houston Police Department said.

Police told reporters that the security guard, who was working for the restaurant, was standing in the parking lot when a fight broke out between him and another man, FOX26 Houston reported.

Police said the security guard was shot at least once. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died.

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OFF-DUTY DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED WHILE WORKING SECURITY JOB IN TEXAS, SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE

A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said. (Houston Police Department)

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim.

The suspect was last seen running away from the parking lot after the shooting.

The security guard was working for the restaurant at the time of the shooting. (Google Maps)

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BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTER CONFESSED IN VIDEOS TO PLANNING ATTACK FOR LONG TIME, SHOWED NO REMORSE: DOJ

No details about the suspect or the circumstances that led to the altercation have been released as of Thursday morning.

Houston police were reviewing surveillance footage as they search for the shooting suspect. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle, File)

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Officials said investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses to get a description of the suspect.

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Texas teachers’ union sues state over investigation into controversial Charlie Kirk posts

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Texas teachers’ union sues state over investigation into controversial Charlie Kirk posts

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The Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced on Tuesday that it plans to sue the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over what it called “unlawful investigations” into school officials over social media posts made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

In September, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath sent out a letter to state school superintendents announcing that he was launching investigations into school officials that he said “posted and/or shared reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” regarding the Turning Point USA founder’s death.

“Such posts could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics and each instance will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether sanctionable conduct has occurred and staff will investigate accordingly,” Morath wrote. “While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share different beliefs and perspectives.”

TEXAS TECH STUDENT ARRESTED, EXPELLED AFTER VIDEO SHOWS HER ‘MOCKING’ CHARLIE KIRK VIGIL: OFFICIALS

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Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath issued a letter in September announcing investigations into teachers’ social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (fstop123/iStock via Getty Images Plus)

The lawsuit alleges that since the letter was issued, several Texas AFT members have been placed on administrative leave, reprimanded or terminated over their social media posts, which the organization claims is a First Amendment violation.

“Somewhere and somehow, our state’s leaders lost their way,” Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a statement. “A few well-placed Texas politicians and bureaucrats think it is good for their careers to trample on educators’ free speech rights. They decided scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, the doxxing, and the death threats targeted at Texas teachers. Meanwhile, educators and their families are afraid that they’ll lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their very purpose for being, which is to impart critical thinking.”

GREG ABBOTT MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT TURNING POINT USA IN TEXAS

National AFT President Randi Weingarten also released a statement condemning the TEA.

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Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, released a statement condemning the Texas Education Agency for the letter. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Sadly, Texas officials, unlike their colleagues in Utah, decided to exploit the tragedy of Mr. Kirk’s senseless murder, rather than deescalate,” Weingarten said. “Their actions are a transparent effort to smear and shame educators, divide our communities, and deny our kids opportunities to learn and thrive. They are a state-sponsored attack on teachers because of what they thought were private comments to friends and family. And even if we think some of this speech is noxious, defending one’s right to speak is the essence of our democracy.”

She added, “You don’t lose your constitutional rights when you decide to become a teacher—the Constitution, for it to have any meaning at all, has to work for all Americans, not just some.”

PROFESSOR FIGHTING DISMISSAL FOR CALLING CHARLIE KIRK A ‘NAZI’ HANDED LEGAL WIN, FUELING FREE SPEECH DEBATE

The AFT is seeking a permanent injunction of the TEA policy and investigations. The TEA declined to comment to Fox News Digital.

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School officials across the country have been fired or reprimanded for appearing to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images)

In the weeks following Kirk’s assassination, several public school teachers across the nation were reprimanded or fired after going viral with controversial social media posts that appeared to celebrate his death.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously announced that more than 100 teachers in the state would have their teaching certifications suspended after investigators found they had called for or encouraged violence following Kirk’s assassination.

Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.

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Former MLB great Mark Teixeira makes stance on Minnesota ICE shooting clear

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Former MLB great Mark Teixeira makes stance on Minnesota ICE shooting clear

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The Minnesota ICE shooting that resulted in the death of Renee Good has drawn strong reactions everywhere.

According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Good was operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit. Good, according to Noem, refused and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”

After Vice President JD Vance delivered a strong statement defending ICE agents for their work, the White House posted a graphic with a portion of Vance’s plea and the caption, “STAND WITH ICE.”

 

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Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Ameriquest Field Aug. 7, 2005, in Arlington, Texas. (Tim Heitman/USA Today Sports )

Former MLB All-Star Mark Teixeira, who launched his campaign for Texas’ 21st Congressional District in August as a Republican to “help defend President Trump’s America First agenda,” voiced his support.

“I stand with ICE,” the former Texas Ranger, Atlanta Brave, Los Angeles Angel and New York Yankee wrote on X.

Teixeira’s announcement followed Rep. Chip Roy’s decision not to seek re-election and run for Texas attorney general. Roy, who represents the district, made the announcement in a campaign video shared on X last year. His video centered on preserving the Lone Star State’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.”

Former New York Yankee Mark Teixeira throws out the first pitch before a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees in the 2019 ALDS at Yankee Stadium.  (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)

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Noem called the incident “domestic terrorism.”

“An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him,” she said.

Federal authorities said Good tried to run over ICE agents who were part of a 2,000-member team sent to the Twin Cities to round up and deport undocumented immigrant criminals.

Teixeira, 45, played 14 seasons in the majors. He debuted with the Rangers in 2003 but is perhaps best known for being an MVP candidate and World Series champion with the Yankees, the final stop of his career.

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New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira hits an RBI single against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum May 22, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (Kelley L Cox/USA Today Sports)

One of the best hitters in the game, Teixeira was a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and finished his career with a .269 batting average and 409 home runs. He was a five-time Gold Glove winner and was a member of the Yankees’ 2009 World Series championship team. 

The congressional race is set for November 2026, with a primary scheduled for March.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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