While some contractors dismiss the plan as political rhetoric, many say they can’t afford to lose more people from an aging, immigrant-dependent workforce still short of nearly 400,000 people.

While some contractors dismiss the plan as political rhetoric, many say they can’t afford to lose more people from an aging, immigrant-dependent workforce still short of nearly 400,000 people.

Both presidential candidates promise to build more homes. One promises to deport hundreds of thousands of people who build them.

Former President Donald Trump’s pledge to “launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” would hamstring construction firms already facing labor shortages and push record home prices higher, say industry leaders, contractors and economists.

“It would be detrimental to the construction industry and our labor supply and exacerbate our housing affordability problems,” said Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders. The trade group considers foreign-born workers, regardless of legal status, “a vital and flexible source of labor” to builders, estimating they fill 30% of trade jobs like carpentry, plastering, masonry and electrical roles.

  • solsangraal@lemmy.zipEnglish
    1301·
    11 days ago

    The trade group considers foreign-born workers, regardless of legal status, “a vital and flexible source of labor”

    oh yea, republicans will spend all day whining about “illegals” but not one nanosecond even talking about the CEOs who hire those illegals, giving them a reason to come here in the first place

    • zeppo@lemmy.worldEnglish
      621·
      11 days ago

      I’ve made this observation for some time now. Isn’t funny how the industries which hire illegal immigrants are skewed conservative ownership-wise? Construction, roofing, agriculture, trucking, hotels. My belief is that in addition to exploiting division and fear, they want to keep these workers marginalized so they can take advantage of them. Being able to dodge OSHA, medical comp, minimum wage, payroll tax, and so on are all Republican dreams.

      • mr_robot@lemmy.worldEnglish
        18·
        11 days ago

        I worked with a construction firm that hired undocumented Hispanic laborers. The owner wrapped the semi he used for hauling his offshore race boat in a gaudy Trump themed canvas for the 2016 election.

        The dichotomy of man in two sentences.

    • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
      251·
      11 days ago

      There have been sections of the border which enacted tough enough policies and technology to actually keep out illegal immigrants. Over time, it cratered the local economies, to the point that politicians got involved and fixed the border patrols back to the insecure way, so that everyone could have a big pool of desperate, vulnerable farm workers again.

      • Vandals_handle@lemmy.worldEnglish
        10·
        11 days ago

        I seem to remember (but am too lazy to look up) something about Trump using undocumented Polish laborers on a building project, providing no PPE, paid them sub-minimum wage, no overtime. Reported the laborers to INS so they would be deported to avoid getting sued.

      • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        11 days ago

        I used to write project maintenance software for a home builder. Right before I left that gig, the company’s owner got busted banging his son’s wife. Just a little anecdote about a bit of loathsomeness I’ve never encountered anywhere else.

        The profit margins on this business were just insane. Like, houses cost between $30 and $40 grand to build (with corners cut in all sorts of ridiculous ways) and sold for $125 to $150 grand.