President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda is decimating the Rio Grande Valley economy, threatening to flip Republican gains in the region back to Democratic control just a year after the president's historic win in a traditionally blue area, according to a report.
Construction, retail, real estate, and hospitality sectors are collapsing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids disrupt the undocumented workforce that anchors the regional economy. Ronnie Cavazos, president of the South Texas Builders Association, warned bluntly: "This will put us out of business if it continues," reported NBC News.
And Mario Guerrero, executive director of the South Texas Builders Association, said "he’s not alone in his 'disappointment' with the president’s immigration enforcement," the network reported, "and he thinks that sentiment is setting an ominous tone for GOP prospects in the region, both in the midterms and beyond."
“I can guarantee you, the Valley will never be red again,” Guerrero said. “At least not anytime soon.”
ICE raids targeting construction sites have arrested framers, foundation pourers, drywallers and stucco crews, leaving builders unable to complete projects. Homebuilder Xavier Vazquez reported that ICE officers arrested "almost all" of his stucco crew, and finding replacements has proved impossible.
Luis Rodriguez, a flooring sales manager, said he has orders that customers won't pick up because "they don't have anybody to install them."
The economic ripple effects extend far beyond construction. Real estate agent Jaime Lee Gonzalez reported an investor hesitating on 100 residential lots, fearing "by the time they start construction they would not be able to complete the project."
Paul Rodriguez, CEO of Valley Land Title Co., documented a dramatic slowdown in construction loans beginning last summer, worsening in fall — a pattern that doesn't align with typical seasonal variations but instead tracks with ICE enforcement escalation.
Household budgets are shrinking. Maria Vasquez, whose husband's construction work has slowed dramatically, described cutting groceries: "Where you can adjust is in the food — you remove from your list, juices, things the kids want. Chips? No." Working families face reduced hours and diminished income with no relief in sight.
An NBC News poll shows 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's immigration handling, with nearly three-quarters wanting ICE reforms. Even among Trump-supporting business owners, frustration percolates.
Isaac Smith, a Republican and building materials co-owner, acknowledges the economy-wide damage while defending immigration enforcement philosophically — illustrating the cognitive dissonance between ideology and lived economic pain.
The White House counters that apprenticeships and H-2B visa expansions address worker shortages, claiming "there is no shortage of American minds and hands." Yet builders operate in economic reality: About 23 percent of Texas construction workers are undocumented, with the Rio Grande Valley percentage significantly higher. The American Immigration Council estimates this dependency, not ideological preference, drives employment patterns.
Trump's deportation agenda has created an unintended consequence: threatening the electoral coalition that delivered the Rio Grande Valley to Republicans.