Author Tim Reid
Mobile, Alabama (Reuters) -Bringing Alabama Sky -Robby Robertson, a superintendent of the construction site, inspect 84,000 square feet, mainly built in a recreation center near the Gulf Coast City City City City.
The site is extremely quiet. Last month $ 20 million The USD project was dedicated to finish on time by 1 November. Now Robertson says he looks at three weeks’ delay after about half of his employees – scared Immigration and Customs Raid Florida 230 miles (370 kilometers) – remained.
According to Reuters interviews, immigration raids on construction sites – the growing coping of Donald Trump’s cope with Donald Trump throughout the country – causing major disorders for the construction industry.
“The provision of raids threats and messages forced the employees not to appear at work, just a whole crew, fearing raid,” said Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Home Builders Association with 140,000 members.
Although immigration agents have strengthened their raids in other workplaces in recent weeks, detaining farmers, restaurant workers, meat packagors and daily workers, the construction industry is particularly vulnerable to labor supply disorders, writes Reuters interviews and government data.
Reuters interviewed 14 people of construction – CEO, Officials of the Commerce Association and seats – who said raids cause the project to be delayed and exceeding the cost and increased lack of skilled work. They said it was too early to evaluate the extent of the damage, taking into account lost work and income.
Some people with whom Reuters talked to were in Texas and Florida, where several raids occurred. ICE was also active in California, Illinois, Washington, Louisiana and Massachusetts, the construction association officials said.
About $ 11 million in the US illegally US construction work, reports the Migration Policy Institute, a non -partisan group of ministers – more than any other industry.
According to the US Census Bureau data, annual fall, rarely seen outside the recession, 2024. May
Deportation impetus begins to influence public opinion. In a Reuters/Ipsos survey this month, Trump’s public approval rating has fallen to 41%this month, which is the smallest from its return to the White House.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, who oversees ICE, said such raids helped fight dangerous activities such as trafficking and exploitation.
“The execution of execution works remains the cornerstone of our efforts to protect society’s security, national security and economic stability,” she said.
Prices of spirals
The effects of raids are the most obvious in places such as Robertson’s construction site as it can increase spiral costs.
Robertson says the problems began the day after approximately 100 employees were arrested on May 29, Florida, Florida in the Immigration Rate in Florida.
Most of his workforce with more than 100 employees is immigrants from Mexico and Central America, and almost all of them have been away from work for a few days. After seven weeks, a little more than half of those immigrant employees recovered, making Robertson significantly short -lived.
22 people’s roofing team has fallen to 12. The roof, which so far was to be completed, is not completed, revealing the internal rain when the usual thunderstorm.
Electric work, water supply, dry wall finish and sports equipment installation are behind the graph.
Robertson said his company could be subject to $ 84,000 for additional delays, under the “$ 4,000 ‘$ 4,000, the project ends up to 1 November.
“I’m a short sponsor, but I just don’t think raids are the answer,” he said.
He said the company and its subcontractors are already checking that the employees are legally in the country through the Government’s E-Verify-Placiai online system that checks the suitability of employment.
Industrial officials noted that the E-Verify system is not flawless because immigrants can produce counterfeit documents.
Robertson said even Spanish employees who are legally in the US are afraid to arrest ice: “Because of their skin color. They are afraid because they seem part.”
Tim Harrison, whose company is creating a recreation center, said it could not easily replace builders born in Mexico and Central America with local Americans because most have no skills.
According to him, it is particularly difficult to find alternate staff who have a strict labor market in Alabama. The state has only 3.2% of unemployment.
“The world of contractors is full of Republicans. I am not anti-in-in. We support what the president is trying to do. But his industrial reality has to have Spanish immigrant staff,” Harrison said.
The company’s CEO mentioned the chronic investment in local Americans training in construction skills such as plastering, carpentry, roofing and welding.
The White House and Labor Department drew attention to April. Trump’s signed executive order aims to support more than a million qualified apprenticeships a year, including the skills needed for construction.
“The inadequate American mind and our hands to expand our workforce, and the presidential agenda to create jobs for American workers implies the commitment of this administration to exploit this undue potential by implementing our powers to implement our immigration laws,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.
June The Department of Labor has developed the Immigration Policy Bureau to simplify temporary work visas for foreign workers.
A hazard compensation
Brent Taylor, who runs the construction company in Tampo, Florida, has exceeded the impact of ice raids. This has a direct impact on his labor costs.
Immigrants count almost a quarter of the inhabitants of Florida. Taylor said he lost a third to half of his subcontracting workers’ trade, such as roofing, concrete work and dry wall.
And his subcontractors have to pay more to replace them, he said.
Some of his subcontracting immigrant staff require additional wages for the risk of being detained with ice. This increased individual daily labor costs to $ 400 to $ 500, from $ 200 to $ 300 a day.
“They actually appreciate the danger,” Taylor said. “And then I will pass it on to my client, be it a homeowner or commercial building owner.”
Construction Trade Associations together with agricultural, hotel, restaurants and other sectors went to Washington this month at the Lobys Department and the Homeland Security Department.
Most want a process to give US -born employees abroad to maintain a temporary legal status to work in construction. This is very likely that the congress will pass, as many Republican lawmakers are opposed to the idea.
Brian Turmail, vice president of the public affairs of associated general contractors, said the group emphasized whether the damage caused by ice raids, meetings with DHS and work officials. They called for Trump’s administration to focus on people illegally, who have a criminal record, and find ways to allow others to work.
“The 40 -year -old has done little to encourage American workers in career in areas such as construction,” said Turmail.
He said officers listened, but the delegation remained the impression that Trump’s administration believes that the country’s employees could be replaced by lower -income Americans who are now required to work for health insurance benefits, according to a recent Republican expenditure account signed.
“Administration officials are very resistant to everything that smells like an amnesty. It’s a place where they just won’t go,” said another trade association official who attended meetings with administration officials.
Harrison, Director General of Alabama, said he knew many contractors who are facing exceeding and delays because employees hid.
“This is because of the fear that is there, there is hysteria there,” he said.
(Timo raid message on a mobile phone.