Immigration squeeze accelerates meat automation

Falling inflows of refugees and the end of some temporary legal statuses are prompting U.S. meatpackers to adopt automation, raise starting wages, and recruit locally—shifting the industry’s labor model in rural towns. Large incentives (e.g., Walmart’s $50M+ support for a $400M North Platte plant) and experiments from Tyson and JBS show the sector is actively trading immigrant labor for capital and local hiring. — If immigration policy reduces the available low‑wage workforce, targeted automation and higher local wages will reshape rural employment, food prices, and the politics of migration and industrial policy.