San Antonio’s construction industry may be heading into a period of deeper labor shortages and rising project costs, as the federal government’s intensified immigration enforcement begins to shrink a workforce that has long relied on foreign-born labor. A new analysis from Construction Coverage outlines the scale of that reliance, finding that 34.5% of construction workers in San Antonio are foreign-born, among the highest percentages in the country.
The study arrives as fear spreads across job sites statewide. The White House’s enforcement sweeps have already created visible disruptions, with some immigrant laborers walking off the job months ago. Earlier reporting from the San Antonio Current revealed that undocumented workers began abandoning worksites as early as February, a trend confirmed by advocates and labor groups.
Construction Coverage spokesperson Mike LaFirenza said the data shows how acute the problem could become if enforcement efforts continue. “If the recent intensification of immigration enforcement has in fact reduced the foreign-born construction industry workforce, I would expect that to only exacerbate the already understaffed construction industry,” he explained in an email to the outlet.
LaFirenza added that shortages could slow timelines and force builders to raise pay in order to compete amid a “record construction boom.”
The Texas construction sector was already stretched thin before the latest sweeps. In early November, the Associated General Contractors of America reported that 92% of construction companies nationwide were struggling to find workers, and Texas has long relied heavily on immigrant labor to fill skilled and unskilled roles. According to the study, Texas ranks No. 2 in the nation for its share of foreign-born construction workers, at 40.2%.
Long-term trends suggest the industry’s dependence has been growing steadily. Between 2009 and 2023, the number of foreign-born construction workers nationally increased by more than 435,000, now representing 26% of the industry overall.
Construction Coverage’s researchers emphasized that these workers play crucial roles across virtually every part of the building sector. “These workers are integral not only to residential and commercial building projects, but also to the maintenance and repair of the nation’s aging infrastructure,” they wrote.
The study’s definition of construction work spans a broad range of occupations—from laborers and plumbers to supervisors and company executives—reflecting how widespread the impact could be if the labor pool continues to shrink. The report draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, which does not distinguish between documented and undocumented foreign-born workers.
San Antonio now ranks 14th among major U.S. metros for its share of foreign-born construction workers. Given the region’s booming development pipeline—from large transportation projects to high-density housing and commercial builds—any reduction in available labor threatens to push schedules and budgets further off track.
With immigration enforcement efforts intensifying and local job demand already exceeding supply, builders across San Antonio may soon find themselves navigating even greater uncertainty.
Originally reported by Samara Gerstle in San Antonio Current.
