18-05-2025
Trump's purge of undocumented immigrants is already threatening North Carolina's economy
During a congressional hearing this week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem touted her department's crackdown on the southern border, where she said daily encounters with people trying to enter the U.S. without authorization have fallen by 93%.
Noem told members of the House Homeland Security Committee, 'This astonishing turnaround is a testament to the resolve and to the leadership of President Trump to make America safe again.'
What she didn't say is how the Trump administration's sealing of the border and its targeting of undocumented people in the U.S. could put the economy at risk.
In North Carolina, workers are already in short supply.
Dave Simpson, president and CEO of the Carolina Association of General Contractors, said there's more work than workers, particularly in western North Carolina, where there is massive damage from Hurricane Helene.
'The workforce shortage in North Carolina and South Carolina is the biggest challenge we have. Nothing comes close,' he said.
Charlie Wilson, president of CT Wilson Construction Company, a 90-employee company that builds schools and other buildings in the Triangle and Triad, said the long-running standoff over immigration reform has created a chronic labor problem.
'We've had a workforce shortage for it seems like forever,' he said. 'There are just not enough people being born here to fill all the roles that need to be filled.'
Wilson said his immigrant workers are in the U.S legally, 'but in the subcontractor market, a lot of the work is being done by undocumented workers.'
The Trump administration's deportation threats are being felt across the workforce. 'There's an overwhelming sense of fear that something is going to happen, even among workers who are here legally,' he said.
Trump promised during his campaign to close an 'open' southern border and deport criminals who are in the U.S. illegally. But he's taken aim at all undocumented people and is pushing for mass deportations.
Noem stressed that hard line in a video saying, 'President Trump has a clear message for those who are in our country illegally – leave now! If you don't, we will find you and we will deport you. You will never return.'
Some undocumented workers are taking Noem's advice and leaving, said Chris Barrett, president of the Charlotte-Metrolina Labor Council. 'Because of the threat of deportation, a lot of people are saying 'I'm not going to stick around for it. I'm just going to go ahead and go,' ' he said.
It's estimated that more than 13 million unauthorized immigrants are in the U.S. Most of them are working and helping to keep the U.S. economy humming. Losing a significant share of these workers will hurt industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor, such as construction, health care and hospitality.
'It's going to hit industries hard,' said Daniel Costa, director of Immigration Law and Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C.
Costa said the push to remove immigrants goes beyond targeting those who entered the U.S. illegally. It's also affecting people who entered the U.S. legally but their visas have expired or their protected status has been revoked.
As the Trump administration boosts spending to tighten the southern border and support more deportations, Costa said the effort is focused on the wrong end. Instead, he said, the administration should be hiring more judges to clear the backlog of asylum claims and end the long delays when immigrants seek to become legal residents or naturalized citizens.
The U.S. doesn't need to be pushing people out, Costa said. It needs more people coming in. 'We're facing a massive demographic challenge in the U.S.,' he said.
As the U.S. population ages, immigrant workers are increasingly important. Since 2019, they have accounted for 88% of the nation's labor force growth.
Trump says he supports immigration, but he wants immigrants to come in legally. That's fine, but he hasn't offered legislation that would revise outdated immigration quotas and speed the legal immigration process.
Instead, we have Noem scaring undocumented immigrants with the threat 'We will find you' at a time when employers can't find enough workers.
Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@
