Hurricane recovery hinges on immigrants at center of US election

One in four construction workers nationwide was born outside the United States, according to government data. In some of the country’s largest housing markets, that number is even higher. Foreign-born workers account for 53 percent of all construction jobs in New York, and about half of the construction workforce in Texas is estimated to be undocumented.

Of the nearly 12 million construction industry workers, 1.5 million, or 13 percent, are undocumented immigrants, according to the Pew Research Center’s latest 2022 estimates.

Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have proposed cracking down on illegal immigration, although on vastly different scales. He promised to deport all illegal migrants, and she would further restrict border crossings.

Economists say deep cuts would not benefit the overall economy, especially sectors such as construction and agriculture. An overstretched workforce could lead to housing shortages and higher costs. And Americans displaced by natural disasters may face longer wait times before they can return to their homes.

There are currently a record 8.3 million construction workers in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Except for the start of the pandemic, payrolls have increased nearly every month since they hit a post-financial crisis low in 2011.

But trade group Associated Builders and Contractors estimated earlier this year that the industry needs an additional half a million workers to meet demand.

“Labor markets in the construction industry continue to be extremely tight,” Brian Termeil, vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives for Associated General Contractors of America. “The word immigration has become a little nuclear in U.S. dialogue for some reason.”

Trump has used anti-immigration rhetoric to fuel his base. He promised to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” that would, among other things, deport illegal immigrants. According to Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic Policy and Research, this would lead to “a very rapid and very severe hit to construction.”

“President Trump’s mass deportation of illegal immigrants will not only make our communities safer, but will also save Americans from paying bills for years to come,” Taylor Rogers, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement.

Harris, meanwhile, supports a bipartisan immigration bill developed by senators earlier this year that would make it harder to apply for asylum and speed up deportations, although it would also add more visas for legal immigration.

Baker said her policies could still be a drag on the industry and make recovery and housing efforts more difficult and costly. Harris’ campaign did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The election approaches as communities across the Southeast begin to recover from the hurricane that made landfall last month. Amber Lawson, a principal at Aspire Construction & Design in Georgia, said many of her firm’s subcontractors, such as roofers and carpenters, are being redeployed to help with the remodel. Those shortages of labor and materials could force her to delay building a stand-alone apartment complex outside Atlanta, she said.

“I expect to see the impact of the labor shortage in the next month or two,” Lawson said. “It really just makes an already tight market that much tighter.”

Speaking about recovery efforts in Florida, Saket Soni, executive director of Resilience Force, a nonprofit that organizes and advocates for disaster relief workers, said mayors and governors are relying on relief groups to get residents back on track as quickly as possible. their homes. But the US needs immigration policies that provide more skilled workers.

“The immigration policy that we really need is one that recognizes that and institutionalizes these workers, gives them the opportunity to stay in this country and promotes our continued adaptation and resilience to the disasters that we know are coming,” Soni said . “The entire recovery and long-term recovery from hurricanes depends on immigrant labor.”