During his first 100 days, President Donald Trump and his administration have made multiple impactful decisions for the United States, like implementing tariffs worldwide, mass deportations, creating the Department of Government Efficiency and starting the dismantling of the Department of Education (DOE).
While these policies are felt on a national level, the impact has rippled from Washington, D.C. to the Central Valley.
School districts reported challenges with students and programs, from visas getting revoked to schools debating whether to continue cultural programs.
Trump has said that he would remove funding for any school that has “discriminatory equity ideology.”
On Feb. 14, the DOE sent out a letter giving schools and universities two weeks to immediately stop diversity programs and initiatives. Fresno State gets $75 million in federal funding.
Fresno State also has commencement ceremonies for multiple different groups regarding race, gender and ethnicity that could have been affected– despite there being a block from the court a week after Trump declared the funding removal.
Agricultural
Education is not the only thing affected. The Central Valley is a huge agriculture sector, with around 25% of jobs being agricultural related, according to the Fresno Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen.
“[Agriculture] still takes a pair of human hands to be able to bring that harvest,” Jacobsen said. “We definitely depend upon a workforce to accomplish what we’re able to do here.”
The agricultural sector in the Central Valley has long depended on immigrant labor, much of it undocumented.
While labor shortages are already a concern, the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement has made it more difficult for agricultural employers to maintain a reliable workforce.
One of Trump’s campaign promises was to deliver more water to farmers in the Central Valley. However, those promises have yet to be met, leaving farmers frustrated and uncertain about their water supply.
During his campaign in 2016, Trump pledged to resolve water distribution issues, but little progress was made during his term.
“Trump says he will deliver more water for farmers, just as he did in 2016 and failed to do so,” said Thomas Holyoke, a political science professor at Fresno State. “It is not clear what he can do because much of California’s water system is under the control of California.”
Although the Trump administration attempted to weaken key environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, these changes have had limited success in California. The state continues to control its water resources, and strict environmental regulations ensure that water is allocated equitably, particularly during drought years.
The Role of Immigration in Local Agriculture
Immigration policies have been a pressing issue in the Central Valley, where farmers have long depended on a workforce of mostly undocumented immigrants. The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has put even more pressure on an already strained agricultural labor force.
The H-2B visa program provides U.S. visas for temporary non-agricultural workers, but there has been no other immigration reform since 1986.
Many in agriculture like Jacobsen have criticized the program for its bureaucratic hurdles and lack of flexibility, which can make it difficult to access the labor needed during critical times.
“When it comes to some kind of immigration reform…I’m hopeful,” Jacobsen said.
Political Shifts and Future Outlook
On the economic front, some residents in the Central Valley did not see the promised benefits from Trump’s tax reforms. While wealthier individuals may have seen some relief, the tax cuts had minimal impact on working-class families, especially those in agricultural communities.
“I have not heard that many people in the valley saw any tax benefits; personally, I did not,” Holyoke said.
According to Holyoke, one big tax issue came during the Biden administration, when Republicans forced an end to the child tax credit.
“That likely hurt a lot of low-income valley residents because it meant an end to deductions for child care,” Holyoke said.
In addition to tax cuts, another major concern for the region is healthcare. Many low-income families in the Central Valley rely on Medicaid, and proposed cuts to the program have raised alarm among local residents.
“Republicans say they will not cut it, but Republicans in Congress are promising enormous budget cuts, and nobody can really see how they will do this without cutting into Medicaid,” Holyoke said.
The political landscape in the Central Valley has shifted dramatically during Trump’s first term. In 2016, much of the region supported Trump, but by 2018, the valley swung in favor of Democrats.
However, with inflation and rising costs attributed to the Biden administration, the valley moved back toward conservatism this past November.
“In 2024, with inflation being blamed on Biden, much of the valley turned red,” Holyoke said. “Since it is likely that many of Trump’s policies will hurt agricultural exports, raise prices, and perhaps damage health care access.”
Holyoke says he suspects the valley will vote in favor of the Democrats during the 2026 midterms because of these issues.
Despite the political shifts, local agricultural leaders remain concerned about the impact of national policies on the region’s economy.
The consequences of tariffs, immigration enforcement and changes to environmental regulations have placed significant strain on the Central Valley’s agricultural industry.
The Changing Environment in Local Government
In addition to the challenges posed by national policies, local federal employees have also experienced shifts under the Trump administration.
A federal employee in Fresno who does not want to be identified, in fear of retaliation, and a student at Fresno State have watched as political pressures have infiltrated the department, where they work.
“I’ve been working here for three years in November,” they said. “We never talked about politics in the office…but once Trump came into office, everything has changed.”
However, with Trump’s second term beginning earlier this year, they describe a dramatic change in the tone and direction of the department. This approach, they say, was deeply destabilizing for a government workforce.
“We’ve been getting bullied week after week, month after month because they want us out,” they said. “You see a tweet from Elon [Musk] saying if you don’t respond to this email by Monday, you’re going to get fired. And if you don’t do what we tell you, you’re going to get fired.”
One of the biggest shifts has been pressure to prioritize immigration enforcement in non-border districts like Fresno.
“We used to prosecute criminals–if someone committed a crime, regardless of their status, we dealt with it,” they said. “Now we’re being told to go after immigrants. It doesn’t matter if their crime was 20 years ago.”
The broader student community in Fresno is also facing consequences due to Trump’s policies.
One troubling change came with the rescinding of the Optional Practical Training program, which allowed international students to work in the U.S. after graduation.
“In my master’s program, there are three Americans, everyone else is an international student, mostly from India,” they said. “They pay full price; they keep the program alive. Without them, departments like mine will collapse.”
In the same way, the region’s agricultural industry, heavily reliant on immigrant labor, faces a grim future.
“We’re going to see the collapse of 90% of the farms in Fresno,” they said. “Not next year, now.”
With Trump’s policies affecting everything from immigration to healthcare, taxes and agricultural trade, the Central Valley economic and political future is uncertain.
