Deporting Badly Needed Construction Workers is a Terrible Idea

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Rebuilding Los Angeles will require at least 50,000 new construction workers, according to some experts. Meanwhile, at least half of the workers in the building trades are Latino, many with questionable immigration status. President-elect Trump wants to start a massive deportation effort, which will vastly reduce the number of workers who actually build things.

Job offers for construction workers have already begun to appear on social media. “Carpenters wanted,” some ads say. Others offer landscaping work; some seek bricklayers. What is certain is that the demand will continue to grow in the coming weeks.

However, much remains in doubt.

Many pro-immigrant activists have said that instead of deporting people, the country should be importing workers to rebuild the fire-damaged areas in the West and the flooded areas in the South and East. Others go further. They argue that this country needs a federal amnesty and visa program leading to citizenship for the workers we need to rebuild the tremendous damage recently caused by fires and floods. Hopefully, some politicians will recognize this vital need and work together to address it.

ACLU starts “immigrants’ voices” campaign amid Trump deportation threats