Trump-voting builders warn he’s imperiled construction industry in GOP stronghold

U.S. President Donald Trump with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S., February 27, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

During his years as governor of Texas, George W. Bush saw Latinos as crucial to Republicans maintaining — and even growing — their majority in the Lone Star State. And he wasn't the only Republican who held that view. GOP strategist Karl Rove and President Ronald Reagan also believed that Republicans needed to ramp up their Latino outreach, and they viewed immigrant workers as important to the U.S. economy.

But in a video posted on March 18, the New York Times reports that in Texas, President Donald Trump's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have become a major burden for the state's construction industry.

Mario Guerrero, executive director of the South Texas Builders Association, told the Times, "I did vote for Mr. Trump. Deporting the criminals is a great policy. But we voted for the American Dream, and unfortunately, right now, we're not seeing that."

Texas-based home builder Marco Santivañes told the Times that ICE has "raided us anywhere from 10 to 15 times" — making it increasingly difficult to complete projects.

According to the Times, "worksites across the Rio Grande Valley" in Texas have "ground to a halt" — and as a result, some Trump supporters in that area are now "changing their minds" about supporting him.

The Times reports, "Many who work in the construction industry here told us they largely rely on immigrant workers, some of whom are undocumented."

Eliud Cavazos, CEO of 57 Concrete in Texas, told the Times, "We are seeing a reduction of almost 60 percent of our volume on the residential side of our business. We applied for bankruptcy in December."

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