Title: The Construction Industry's Chilling Encounter with ICE
The construction industry has long been plagued by labor shortages, but President Trump's immigration crackdown has exacerbated the problem significantly. Rurick Palomino, a U.S. citizen and Peruvian immigrant who built his construction firm from scratch, is one of many in the industry feeling the pinch. Despite having plenty of work due to upcoming mega-projects, he's hesitant to expand because he doesn't have enough manpower.
This labor shortage has been a persistent issue for years within an industry where nearly one out of three workers is foreign-born. However, the recent actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are making matters worse. In Washington D.C., ICE checkpoints have led to Latino workers being swept up on their way to and from work sites. Palomino himself witnessed such a checkpoint targeting construction pickups along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, causing fear among both undocumented and documented workers in the industry.
The implications of this situation are far-reaching. As ICE continues its enforcement actions against undocumented immigrants, it's creating an atmosphere of unease across all levels of construction workforces. This could lead to a further decline in productivity as companies struggle to find enough skilled laborers to complete projects on time and within budget.
From my perspective, this issue highlights the need for comprehensive immigration reform that addresses both legal and undocumented workers' concerns. It also underscores the importance of investing in vocational training programs so that domestic workers can fill some of these gaps left by a shrinking foreign-born workforce. Ultimately, it's crucial to strike a balance between enforcing immigration laws and ensuring that essential industries like construction have access to the skilled labor they need to thrive.
Source: [Original Article](https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/nx-s1-5575539/ice-immigration-construction-latino-workers) #sending
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