MOBILE, Ala. — Under the scorching Alabama sun, Robby Robertson surveys a mostly built 84,000-square-foot recreation center outside Mobile that should have been bustling with workers. Instead, it sits unusually quiet — a direct result of escalating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worksite raids that are disrupting the construction industry nationwide.
Just last month, Robertson’s $20 million project was on track to meet its November 1 deadline. Now, after an ICE raid at a job site in Florida, nearly half of his mostly immigrant crew has vanished — some staying home, others going into hiding to avoid detention or deportation.
“I am a Trump supporter, but I just don’t think the raids is the answer,” said Robertson, who now faces a projected three-week delay and up to $84,000 in extra costs under a “liquidated damages” clause of $4,000 for each day the project runs late.
While ICE has stepped up raids at farms, restaurants, factories and day labor sites, construction sites — which rely heavily on immigrant labor — are particularly vulnerable to sudden labor gaps. Roughly 1.4 million of the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally work in construction, according to the Migration Policy Institute — more than in any other industry.
“The threats and the reporting of raids have caused workers to not show up at job sites, just whole crews for fear of a raid,” said Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, which represents 140,000 members nationwide.
Even legal immigrant workers are fearful of being swept up during raids or mistaken for undocumented laborers. “They are scared because they look the part,” Robertson said.
The Department of Homeland Security defends the increased enforcement, arguing that raids help fight labor trafficking and exploitation. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security, and economic stability,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
But builders and CEOs interviewed by Reuters say the impact is already causing cascading delays, unfinished projects and surging costs that are hitting both large commercial contractors and small subcontractors.
In Alabama alone, Robertson’s 22-person roofing team is down to 12. The unfinished roof has left parts of the interior exposed to summer thunderstorms. Electrical, plumbing and finishing work are also behind schedule.
Tim Harrison, whose company is overseeing the same site, says finding replacement crews is nearly impossible in a tight labor market where Alabama’s unemployment is just 3.2%. “The contractor world is full of Republicans. I’m not anti-ICE. We’re supportive of what the president is trying to do. But the reality of it is our industry has to have the Hispanic immigrant-based workers in it,” Harrison said.
Brent Taylor, who runs a construction company in Tampa, Florida, said his subcontractors are now paying “hazard pay” to immigrant workers willing to risk detention — pushing daily wages from $200–$300 up to $400–$500 per day. “They’re factoring in basically a hazard rate. And then I’m going to pass it on to my customer, whether it be a homeowner or a commercial building owner,” Taylor said.
Trade groups representing construction, agriculture and hospitality recently traveled to Washington to push the administration for solutions — including legal work status for vetted immigrants and a focus on deporting those with criminal records.
Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs at the Associated General Contractors of America, said, “For 40 years, this country has done little to encourage or prepare American workers for careers in fields like construction.” But he and others say the White House is unwilling to back any proposal that resembles amnesty.
Meanwhile, the White House insists that its policy will help open construction jobs for U.S. citizens. “There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
But builders say the reality is more complicated. “That’s because of the fear that’s out there, the hysteria that’s out there,” said Harrison. “The work has to get done — but the people we need to do it are disappearing.”
Originally reported by Tim Reid in Reuters.
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