BUFFALO, N.Y. - Some dairy farmers in upstate New York say they don't know just how much the Trump administration's focus on illegal immigration could impact the industry — with stories already circulating about Immigration and Customs Enforcement showing up to farms to pick up specific people with known infractions.

"Our employees all come to us with documents. It's a matter of whether they're legitimate or not and I would say, I look at them. If they look good I move forward. I don't ask questions about how they got here or anything like that so at this point you can tell which ones are nervous," said one upstate farmer who asked to remain anonymous in order to protect his staff and business.

The farmer said regardless of status, immigrants who work for him are nervous about the administration's direction. He said if he were to lose a significant portion of his staff at the same time, it could have a devastating impact on the business.

"Animal health would decline in a hurry and ultimately I think it could shut down the business, just because you can't take care of all the animals appropriately if your minus a third of your workforce," the farmer said.

Allyson Jones-Brimmer, of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, said workforce concerns are chief among its members but the impacts of potential tariffs aren't far behind. Dairy is a global industry that relies on exports in order to maintain a stable price.

Farmers in New York also get feed for their cows from countries like Canada.

"We're just trying to make sure that we maintain a business climate that allows farms to be successful, to produce food and feed families in our communities and throughout the country," Jones-Brimmer said.

The farmer who spoke Spectrum News 1 said tariffs won't be as immediate a blow as losing employees but would impact the bottom line. He said it would depend on how long they are in place.

"We can handle that for short periods of time," he said. "A down year is a down year but to have a few down years in a row could be very difficult."

He said there are opportunities right now for the administration and Congress to make policy changes that will help farmers, like focusing on longer-term work visa programs.

"We're all for securing the borders and trying to crack down on the criminals who can cross the borders so then it's really just a matter of figuring out how we can have a legal pathway for our staff that are already here and then having a longer term solution than the seasonal H2A people that come for like fruits and vegetables," the farmer said.

Jones-Brimmer said lawmakers at the state level could help by expanding the overtime tax credit so more farms are eligible.