Summary
Donald Trump’s plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants is causing alarm in Texas, where industries like construction heavily depend on undocumented labor, comprising nearly 60% of the workforce.
Experts warn mass deportations could cripple the state’s economy, already strained by labor shortages and low population growth.
Workers like Veronica Carrasco, an undocumented house painter, fear family separations and job losses.
While Trump signals determination, some hope his policies might push Congress to enact immigration reform, such as a guest-worker program, to balance economic needs with national security concerns.
The interesting thing is that they are only one in a long line of businesses/industries openly admitting to employing undocumented immigrants, i.e. illegal hiring practices. It is clear, why these businesses are doing this: They can pay less (and the on-cost) and if at any point there is a dispute, they can threaten with the authorities, even if it is illegal in places to do so. If we can believe the numbers, they make up more than 4% of the workforce. Something that has been so seldomly prosecuted, it has become so prevalent, that they’re talking about it in the open.