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A Texas construction crew works on a highway project. Credit: WIkimedia Commons \/ Bill Jacobus<\/p>\nA Texas construction crew works on a highway project. Credit: WIkimedia Commons \/ Bill Jacobus<\/p>\n
Trump administration\u2019s intensifying immigration crackdown will likely delay San Antonio construction projects and hike costs due to the industry\u2019s high reliance on foreign-born labor, new data suggests. <\/p>\n
The number of foreign-born construction workers has consistently risen for more than a decade, and some 34.5% of San Antonio\u2019s workforce was born outside the U.S., a new study by construction software firm Construction Coverage shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf 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,\u201d Mike LaFirenza, a Construction Coverage spokesman told the\u00a0Current via email.<\/p>\n LaFirenza added that resulting labor shortages would delay building projects and force companies to raise wages, especially because the crackdown comes in the midst of a \u201crecord construction boom.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, the White House\u2019s aggressive immigration enforcement has already created hurdles for the construction industry, according to earlier reporting by the Current.\u00a0<\/p>\n Undocumented construction workers around the state began vacating job sites as early as February out of fear, American Immigration Council Texas organizer Chelsie Kramer\u00a0told the Current<\/a>. In early November, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported that\u00a092% of construction businesses were struggling<\/a>\u00a0to find workers.<\/p>\n Between 2009 and 2023, the number of foreign-born construction workers increased by more than 435,000, now comprising 26% of the industry, according to Construction Coverage\u2019s study.<\/p>\n San Antonio\u2019s construction industry has the 14th-largest percentage of foreign-born workers of any large U.S. metro, according to the the company\u2019s research. Meanwhile, Texas sits at No. 2 for the highest percentage of foreign-born construction workers at 40.2%.<\/p>\n \u201cThese workers are integral not only to residential and commercial building projects, but also to the maintenance and repair of the nation\u2019s aging infrastructure,\u201d Construction Coverage researchers wrote.<\/p>\n The study defined construction work through a range of occupations, ranging from plumbers and laborers to company executives. Researchers also used the data from the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s 2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which doesn\u2019t make a distinction between documented and undocumented foreign-born workers.<\/p>\n Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>| Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe ACLU and other groups interviewed more than 45 migrants held at the detention center and call it a \u2018human and civil rights catastrophe.\u2019\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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