Construction worker works outside of commercial building site during a hot weather in Mount Prospect, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Trump has pledged to execute the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, starting with criminals. "First of all, they're costing us a fortune, but we're starting with the criminals and we gotta do it and then we're starting with others and we're gonna see how it goes," Trump said. The construction industry, heavily reliant on immigrant labor, is concerned about the potential workforce disruption. Patrick Murphy, a former U.S. Representative from Florida and now chief investment officer for a Miami-based construction company, warned, "There’s reports that there are millions of undocumented workers working in construction, if they are deported, with the threat of them being deported, prices will skyrocket in construction.
"Hopefully this is a strategic plan that will take years in the making to help have more manufacturing, have more domestic labor that is qualified to take these jobs, but flipping the light over the night will be very dangerous," he said.