Donald Trump plans to follow through on his promise to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, and Texas businesses are worried.
Construction companies, in particular, say losing workers would cause chaos.
“It would devastate our industry. We wouldn’t finish highways, schools, or houses,” Stan Marek, CEO of a Houston construction company, told NPR.
Nearly 60% of Texas construction workers are undocumented, and the state’s booming growth depends on them.
According to Economist Ray Perryman, Texas simply doesn’t have enough people to replace these workers.
“There are more undocumented workers in Texas than unemployed Texans,” he explained. Deportations could hurt the economy at a time when birth rates and population growth are already low.
Veronica Carrasco, a house painter and single mom from Honduras, is preparing for the worst. “No one wants to do the hard work I do,” she said. “I didn’t come to take anyone’s job.” She’s making legal plans for her kids, worried she’ll be separated from them.
Meanwhile, business leaders like Marek want a better solution, such as a guest-worker program. “It’s simple,” Marek said. “Workers pay taxes and get legal status. Everyone wins.”
Experts warn mass deportations could hurt the economy more than help.
As Perryman put it, “We just don’t have enough people to sustain our growth without immigrant workers.”
