President Trump's recent immigration raids have impacted construction in Los Angeles to rebuild homes destroyed by the Palisades wildfires. Contractors are finding that fewer workers are showing up, fearing detainment or deportation.

Los Angeles

Construction projects in Los Angeles are facing major workforce shortages, with contractors reporting that many skilled workers are not showing up due to concerns over heightened immigration enforcement. General contractor Jason Petruska notes that while he hires legal workers, he also relies on subcontractors who employ undocumented labor, many of whom are now absent from job sites.

The shortage comes at a critical time, as thousands of homes destroyed by recent fires need to be rebuilt. Approximately 41 percent of California's construction workforce is foreign-born, and increased deportations are expected to further reduce the number of available workers, leading to longer delays, higher labor costs, and increased prices for consumers.

How President Trump's immigration crackdown is impacting construction

this construction site has just about everything you need to build a traditional family home. Everything except enough workers. We have probably three people on site, four people on site, and normally we'd have about double. We have about eight to ten people. Where are they? They're hiding. People aren't willing to come to work. Jason Petruska is a general contractor in Los Angeles. He says he only hires builders here in the country legally, but he also relies on companies that employ highly skilled undocumented labor. Many of those workers are now no-shows because they're fearful of the ramped up ice raids. If a company has five trucks and there's two guys per truck and half their crew doesn't want to come, that's literally three jobs or two jobs that can't be performed. The labor shortage comes at a time when more than 12,000 homes destroyed by recent fires in L.A. County need to be rebuilt. About 41 percent of the construction workers in California are foreign born, and according to a report, the rise in deportations will deplete the construction workforce statewide, including those specializing in drywall, flooring, and roofing. Petruska says this is already causing longer construction delays and greater competition for fewer crews. When you find the people who are willing to do the job, they want probably double the hourly rate. So what does that mean, like for this home that is getting to the end stages here? That means that the consumer is paying more. Did you have that feeling as much before, or did your workers have that feeling that they could just be snatched off the street in front of the job site? Never. It's so alien to me to hear that because this is construction. We work hard and we go home for the rest of the day. Like there should be no fear of doing this stuff.

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, seen in a viral “kiss cam” video embracing an employee at a Coldplay concert, has resigned, the company says in a LinkedIn post.

Boston

Astronomer CEO resigns after viral incident at Coldplay concert

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New York

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West Hollywood

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Washington

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Hạ Long Bay

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As Suwayda

Middle East Conflict

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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Rio de Janeiro

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London

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Moscow

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Jerusalem

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Tennessee

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Ahmedabad

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Damascus

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Mexico City

Global Tariffs

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Breakdown