Texas construction boss who voted Trump says ICE is ruining his business: ‘Our workers are not the criminals. Come on’

The owner of a Texas construction company is reportedly having regrets about voting for Donald Trump in 2024. As reported by CBS News, McAllen resident Benny Melendez is claiming that repeated ICE operations are making it increasingly difficult for his company to retain workers and finish construction projects.

He told a CBS reporter that he’s had to install fences in the hope they’ll deter ICE agents from swarming his construction sites: “If I don’t install fences, ICE is going to come into my property and take my workers away.” Melendez also noted that he hopes the fences will require ICE agents to produce judicial warrants before they enter his work sites.

So, how seriously is construction being impacted? Melendez gives the example of building a typical home. Before the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown this would have taken an average of four months. Now, with ICE-induced “manpower issues,” it’s taking around a year. As he noted, “We’re blessed that we have two workers today.”

ICE says American “minds and hands” will fix this

Now Melendez says he not only wishes he hadn’t voted for Trump in 2024, he wishes he hadn’t voted for Biden in 2020, underlining that he’s lost faith in the political system entirely: “I regret my vote for Biden. Now I regret my vote for Trump. What other options do we got? They’re not working for us, neither party.” But he had specific anger for Trump, dubbing him a “liar” and saying, “Our workers are not the criminals. Come on.”

Melendez isn’t alone in this. A study by John Burns Research & Consulting revealed that two-thirds of builders said ICE raids have drained their labor force. In some markets, notably in Texas, contractors have reported that up to 70% of the local workforce is no longer available because of raids or the fear they’ve generated amongst Mexican-Americans.

That fear can also be quantified. A survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research published in April 2026 found that each ICE arrest leads to about seven likely undocumented men stopping work, creating a labor gap that’s not only causing delays, but is also causing construction firms to go bankrupt.

ICE itself is bullish, with spokesperson Lauren Bis (via LatinTimes.com) claiming that the United States has “no shortage of American minds and hands” who could take construction jobs and shore up the workers who are now staying away. But, at least based on the current situation, these “American minds and hands” aren’t down at the construction site right now.