Tom Zuiderveld was driving home through farmland in southern Idaho in April when he received a call from his district manager. The manager informed him that three dairy businesses that had bought synthetic oil from him for years no longer wished to continue working with him. Those accounts made up nearly 80 percent of his income.
The decision was linked not to his work performance but to the political positions of his wife, Idaho Republican state senator Glenneda Zuiderveld, reported Washington Post.
Idaho’s dairy industry relies heavily on immigrant labour, including workers who may not have legal work permits. Glenneda Zuiderveld is part of a conservative Republican group that supports stricter immigration enforcement and tougher rules for employers.
Tom Zuiderveld said he was surprised by the decision. “You couldn’t have come to me first?” he said. “They did exactly what they wanted to do: send a message,” he added.
Arie Roeloffs, owner of Riverbend Dairy, defended the move after his dairy became the fourth business to end ties with Zuiderveld in April.
“We live in a free country, and we can actually do business with whoever we want to,” Roeloffs said. “What his wife is doing in the state legislature are things that I don’t agree with. And he stands behind her,” Roeloffs added.
Did immigration become the major issue?
The dispute showed differences within Idaho’s Republican Party over immigration policy. Some Republicans support stricter immigration enforcement even if it affects industries that rely on immigrant workers. Others support stronger border controls but worry that strict measures could hurt agriculture and local businesses, reported Washington Post.
The issue has become important ahead of Idaho’s Republican primary elections. The state’s dairy industry sees the vote as significant because agriculture plays a major role in the local economy.
Idaho Dairymen’s Association represents dairies that employ around 4,500 workers. Industry representatives say many of those workers are immigrants. “We’ve seen Republicans openly hostile to farmers, which is extremely unusual,” said Rick Naerebout. “This will be a potential tipping point for Idaho,” he added.
Naerebout said some lawmakers in the conservative bloc have also opposed measures linked to agriculture and water infrastructure.
The immigration issue has affected Idaho politics before. In 2025, immigration officers raided the farm of Republican lawmaker Stephanie Mickelsen after a complaint was filed with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement tip line. One worker with a criminal record was taken into custody, according to InvestigateWest..
Glenneda Zuiderveld said she does not consider herself anti-agriculture. She grew up in Idaho’s farming community. Her parents farmed potatoes, and her husband’s family worked in dairy farming. The couple later raised three sons.
Tom Zuiderveld previously worked trimming cows’ hooves at dairies. Glenneda Zuiderveld worked in dairy offices and said she often discussed immigration issues openly while also forming friendships with Latino workers.
She said she believed some immigrant workers were treated unfairly by employers and that illegal immigration remained a concern among many voters in her district, reported Washington Post.
“Agriculture and dairy, they might have the money behind them,” she said. “But they don’t have the votes,” she added.
How important are immigrant workers for Idaho dairies?
Idaho dairies remain family-owned, though many have expanded into large operations. Industry leaders say farms often struggle to find American workers willing to do physically demanding dairy work.
The dairy association has supported federal immigration reform and a visa system for year-round dairy workers. Existing seasonal visa programs do not cover dairy operations because farms require workers throughout the year, reported Washington Post.
The association also opposes proposals that would require businesses to use e-verify, a federal system that checks workers’ documents against government records. Naerebout said immigration enforcement should remain a federal responsibility rather than one handled by employers.
The Magic Valley region in southern Idaho has one of the state’s largest Latino populations, and many dairy workers are from Mexico.
Some dairy owners said their decision to stop working with Tom Zuiderveld involved more than immigration issues. They also disagreed with Glenneda Zuiderveld’s positions on water funding and other agriculture-related matters.
Hank Hafliger said the senator had not done enough to support agriculture. “The Senator has attempted to frame this as a single-issue decision, but the reality is it was the combination of all her votes and statements around various agricultural issues that brought our decision to a head,” Hafliger said.
Glenneda Zuiderveld rejected the claims. “Why would I want to destroy the industry that built our livelihood?” she said.
She first won election to the Idaho legislature in 2022 and increased her victory margin in 2024. During her time in office, she supported conservative measures including displaying the Ten Commandments in schools and stricter bathroom laws. She also supported a 2024 resolution calling for the impeachment of former president Joe Biden over immigration policies.
Her Republican primary opponent, Brent Reinke, has received support from parts of the dairy industry. Reinke supports stronger border security but said strict state-level immigration rules could create difficulties for businesses and taxpayers. “It’s almost like a burn-it-down mentality,” Reinke said.
Immigration concerns also came up during a recent Republican women’s luncheon in Buhl, Idaho. Several attendees raised concerns about undocumented workers and jobs in the dairy industry, reported Washington Post.
One attendee said immigrant workers made it harder for local teenagers to find farm jobs. Another attendee criticised earlier immigration amnesty policies in the United States.
An 83-year-old woman who immigrated from Portugal shared a different opinion. “Immigration, it’s a wonderful thing,” she said. “Just think about where your people came from. Be generous with your thoughts,” she added.
At home, the Zuidervelds said they remained united on immigration policy despite the business losses they faced. Tom Zuiderveld said dairies employing undocumented workers raised legal concerns. “As a nation of laws, where do we start determining which laws are okay to break?” he said.
Glenneda Zuiderveld said she supports a legal worker sponsorship system but believes undocumented immigrants should face penalties before receiving legal status.
Tom Zuiderveld lost another dairy account recently, and the couple now relies mainly on savings as Glenneda campaigns ahead of Idaho’s Republican primary on May 19.
“When it comes election time,” she said, “I think the joke is I probably won the election but we lost our home,” she added.