June 19 (UPI) — The Trump administration’s border czar Tom Homan confirmed Thursday that immigration raids in U.S. agriculture and hospitality sectors of the economy will continue despite recent suggestions of a pullback.

Homan said farm, restaurant and hotel workers will be the focus of immigration enforcement operations, but people with criminal backgrounds will be the first priority.

“We’re going to continue to do worksite enforcement operations, even on farms and hotels, but based on a prioritized basis,” Homan said. “Criminals come first.”

Last week, the administration said it was considering standing down on some Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in those industries, suggesting that such enforcement actions could cripple companies that rely on the workers, which President Donald Trump acknowledged in a post on his social media account.

Trump’s pullback was largely attributed to comments by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins who said immigration enforcement measures in industries that typically employ undocumented workers could hobble their productivity.

The president’s announced pullback surprised people who take a hard line stance on immigration and have been largely supportive of Trump aggressive enforcement tactics.

Homan brought the discussion back to hiring practices Thursday while walking back the stand down on immigration enforcement operations.

“Well, first of all, there’s a right way and a wrong way to hire workers. There are legal programs that bring farm workers in,” Homan continued. “Second of all, I’ve been saying for years, Congress needs to address this. But because Congress failed, it just doesn’t mean we ignore it. It’s illegal to knowingly hire an illegal alien.”