It is official: ICE raids leave a shortage of workers in Texas and construction feels the impact

It is official: ICE raids leave a shortage of workers in Texas and construction feels the impact The increase in immigration operations also negatively affected the agriculture and road transport sectors - 4 minutes reading The tightening of immigration policies with raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) affected the availability of labor for construction in South Texas. A recent report indicated that many business owners and local residents now face a severe shortage of workers, causing delays and stoppages in numerous projects. Shortage of workers: the impact of ICE raids in South Texas The increase in ICE operations in South Texas caused an interruption in the economic progress of the Rio Grande Valley region, which historically depends on immigrant workers. Many merchants who voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 elections today question their decision, mainly motivated by the labor shortage and the consequences for the local economy. The impact reached from new development projects to the activity of shrimp boats on the Gulf coast. In this scenario, multiple projects are recording delays of several months or remain completely stopped due to immigration operations. In the Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area, jobs in the construction sector fell by 5% compared to the previous year, while the workforce in Cameron County decreased by almost 2%, according to data cited by The Washington Post. “We did not think this administration would take such drastic measures against undocumented workers, but it is completely devastating the local construction industry,” expressed David Reyna, a businessman who owns a real estate company and a sawmill. ICE raids and detentions at job sites in Texas Community detentions carried out by the Harlingen ICE office surged from approximately 400 in 2024 to more than 9000 in 2026. Of the people arrested in public and community spaces, about 80% had no criminal record, according to a data analysis by the media outlet. Although the agency initially paused direct raids within construction sites following protests by local business owners in Washington, agents began intercepting workers in trucks during their journeys to or from work. Mario Guerrero, president of the South Texas Builders Association, explained that the local labor force usually moves north, to cities like San Antonio or Houston, in search of higher wages. In this scenario, the jobs left vacant by undocumented workers were not filled. In addition to ICE raids, other measures related to immigration policy also affected the local economy, such as restrictions on the issuance of commercial driver's licenses for some immigrants, which harmed the road transport sector. In this line, the shortage of workers not only hits construction and material sales but also agriculture, whose jobs in four counties fell by 13% in the last year to March. The incidence of ICE raids on Latino voters in Texas Latino voters in Texas are showing growing discontent and skepticism toward the severity of these deportation measures, with less than a month left until the general elections on November 3rd. A study by Cook Political Report and Televisa Univision indicated that more than one-fifth of Hispanic voters in Texas who supported Trump (22%) indicated that they would not support a generic Republican candidate for the House of Representatives. Similarly, almost two-thirds of Hispanic voters in the state stated that it would be less likely for them to vote for someone who supports these deportation policies. Given the economic stagnation in construction and agriculture, business leaders and voters warned that the area could revert to supporting Democrats. “The whole valley was red, and now it will be blue,” Reyna stated. - 1 - 2 King Charles III paid a millionaire debt from Prince Andrew for the rent of a Royal mansion - 3 Nelson Ginter, 62, the most southern blue-eyed egg producer in the world: “If you leave them more than one day they freeze” - 4 David Tomé, a 19-year-old goat herder in Málaga: “I bought the first one at 12 and today I have 200”