Homebuilders say ramped up ICE enforcement is stoking fear in construction workforces and worsening a labor shortage in the industry. That’s according to a new survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders.
The association says immigrant workers account for more than 25% of the construction workforce. And the impact of immigration enforcement and workplace raids is felt across the board — with some markets reporting even workers with legal status not showing up due to ICE fears.
Meanwhile, the group says, mandatory detention policies for undocumented people arrested by ICE have forced project cancellations, reduced revenue and eliminated jobs for U.S. born workers — as housing projects decrease.
A report released by the group last year estimated home building slowdowns, caused by skilled labor shortages, were costing almost $11 billion a year.
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Republican state lawmakers grilled the head of the State Land Department Tuesday about why her agency is leasing state-owned land for solar development when they believe it should be sold off for needed residential development. -
When natural disasters hit a community, there’s naturally talk of rebuilding. That work, though, takes workers to do the rebuilding. Saket Soni is director of a group called Resilience Force, which represents people who do this kind of work in what’s called the resilience economy. -
A Republican legislator is subpoenaing Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes to grill them in a public hearing about an alleged incident of pay-to-play. -
The city of Chandler is offering residents a resource to resolve neighborly disputes outside of the courtroom. The free and voluntary program was developed with the Lodestar Mediation Program at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. -
A new report raises concerns about the number of single-family homes in the Valley that are owned by institutional investors. It also finds Phoenix is the top market in the country for build-to-rent homes.
