The efforts to rebuild in Southeastern states after a pair of destructive hurricanes are at risk of being drawn out by shortages of a critical supply of workers: migrants.
Builders are anxious about proposals laid out by Donald Trump that would further crack down on immigration — a key source of labor for the construction industry. The sector is grappling for more workers not only to address a structural housing shortage stemming from the Great Recession, but also more recently to rebuild communities torn apart by Hurricanes Helene and Milton that are left with billions of dollars in damages.
“The labor that is needed to rebuild and restore these homes, I don’t even know where to begin,” said John Anglin, who works at construction firm Bran