Trump deportation surge left Texas with shortage of home builders. Now Republican wants completely new visa to fix that
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing for special visas for construction workers. Trump administration‘s deportation campaign has reportedly led to labor shortages at construction sites in states such as Texas.
Essential Workers for Economic Development Act, Introduced in SeptemberIt will offer temporary, renewable visas for up to nine years to non-citizens to work in key industries where employers are struggling to hire.
“This will help us protect immigrants in the construction industry and recruit immigrants legally,” said Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX). said Next star.
De La Cruz was part of a group of South Texas leaders who met with House Speaker Mike Johnson this week to discuss the proposal as homebuilders in the state warn of slow construction times and hiring difficulties amid fears of immigration raids.
“They hear about Monte Cielo and they say, ‘No, no. You can pay me whatever you want, but I’m not going to work there,'” said Alejandro Garcia, a home builder who works at a site in Weslaco, Texas, that has been raided multiple times. said Wall StreetJournal last week.
As home builders grapple with shortages in the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing for a program offering temporary visas to construction workers (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, a concrete supplier in the area told the newspaper that concrete use fell 60 percent between May and November as builders lost workers and projects stalled.
“A starter-type home project that used to take four to five months on average is now taking eight, nine, 10 months just because of the delays,” said Efrain Gomez, treasurer of the South Texas Builders Association. said NewsNation. “That’s a huge ripple effect.”
Immigrants, legal or not, make up more than half of the construction workforce in states such as Texas, California, Florida and New York. According to the National Association of Home Builders.
The Trump administration’s immigration campaign has clashed with key industries such as agriculture, hospitality and construction that rely heavily on the labor of immigrants and undocumented people.
The Trump administration has faced tension over immigration targets and the high rate of immigrant labor in key industries such as agriculture (AFP via Getty Images)
The administration has pushed to expand H-2A visas for agricultural workers, and last year Trump Raids on hotels, restaurants and agriculture were suspendedbut the administration insisted days later that “there will be no safe haven for industries that harbor violent criminals or deliberately seek to undermine ICE’s efforts.”
The administration has faced similar tensions over the H-1B specialist visa program, which has been used heavily by the president’s allies in the tech industry but has weakened its emphasis on hiring American workers.
