After complaints from farm and hotel owners, Trump said he may halt ICE raids in those industries. If he does, experts say, he will struggle to meet his goal of 3,000 detentions a day.

The Trump administration has directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels after the president expressed alarm about the impact of his administration's aggressive enforcement.

The abrupt pivot on an issue at the heart of Mr. Trump’s presidency suggested his broad immigration crackdown was hurting industries and constituencies he does not want to lose.