A construction business owner in South Texas who says he supported President Donald Trump in all three of his elections is now speaking out about the impact of immigration enforcement on his industry.
Mario Guerrero told The New York Times that ICE raids are disrupting construction projects and removing workers from job sites across the region. Guerrero said the situation has caught many people in the industry off guard. “We just never thought that this would come and affect us in the construction industry.”
Also Read: “I’m never voting Republican ever again” Voters break with Trump one year into second term
Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy has come under criticism following several killings connected to raids and growing political pressure in Washington.
Democrats have even pushed for a Department of Homeland Security shutdown as they demand immigration policy reforms. But frustration is not only coming from critics of the president. Some supporters are now voicing concern as the effects reach businesses and local economies. In a report by Jeremy Raff, Ivan Narez Hurtado, and Ben Laffin for The New York Times, Guerrero said he still agrees with deporting people who commit crimes.
However, he believes current enforcement is affecting workers who are needed to keep construction projects moving. “I did vote for Mr. Trump. Deporting the criminals is a great policy. His foundations are poured ready to go and we can’t even start the construction on them. But we voted for the American dream and unfortunately right now we’re not seeing that.”
For months, federal agents have been sweeping through construction sites in the Rio Grande Valley, according to workers and business owners interviewed in the report. Some companies say they have faced repeated enforcement actions. “ICE has raided us anywhere between 10 to 15 times throughout different subdivisions.”
Those repeated raids have left many construction projects stalled. Work sites across the region have slowed or completely stopped as workers disappear from crews. “These people would just show up to our job sites with no warrants, taking all our workers, even the workers with proper documentation.”
Many builders in the region say immigrant labor has long been essential to the local construction industry. Some of those workers are undocumented while others are legally employed. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Times’ request for comment in this case.
However, in a previous statement the agency said such raids are meant to protect the nation’s workforce. Guerrero said he never expected immigration enforcement to affect the industry so directly. “I’ve supported Mr. Trump in every election that he’s been a part of. We just never thought that this would come and affect us in the construction industry, but most importantly affect our economy here in South Texas.”
Other businesses in the area say the economic impact is already significant. Some report sharp drops in work and sales. “We are seeing a reduction of almost 60% of our volume on the residential side of our business. We applied for bankruptcy in December. We saw a drop in sales of about $5.3 million. For 40 years we had never laid anybody off and until this happened we were forced to.” The effects are spreading beyond construction.
More: “Not like this. This is horrible”: Trump voters in Iowa voice regret as protest shadows rally
Retailers say fear of immigration enforcement is also keeping customers away from stores. “And there’s been a lot of loss of sales because of that. It killed us this year.” Guerrero believes the situation is hurting an industry that plays a major role in the region’s economy.
“Construction is one of the main pillars to the economy here. Everybody’s hurting.”