In March 2024, the MV Dalí freighter, which was transporting about 5,000 containers, collided with a bridge in the American port city of Baltimore. The clash occurred at dawn and caused the death of six workers who did maintenance work in the structure at that time.
The victims were Latin American immigrants: two of Mexican nationality, two Guatemalans, one Salvadoran and another Honduran. All of them had residence permit and employment contract.
This accident partly highlighted the labor reality of the construction sector in the US 30 % of workers are foreigners. However, and contrary to those killed in Baltimore, the usual thing is that half of foreign construction employees are in an irregular situation (1.75 million people).
The precariousness that this entails accepting the most dangerous tasks and the worst schedules, as well as charge lower salaries. It is no accident that one in four immigrants who died in work accident in the US.
The dreaded in workplaces
To these difficulties is now added the increase in media in work in workplaces promoted by the Customs Immigration and Control Service (ICE). This department is one of the few you have seen Grow your budget endowment for 2026.
Thus, next year the immigration service will have more resources for the search, detention and expulsion of masons, plumbers, agricultural day laborers, waiters, caregivers…. Each deportation of one of these workers entails an expense of 9,000 euros to US taxpayers.
At the same time, US coffers stop entering into local, state and federal taxes 7 650 eurosfigure that on average is contributed annually by each irregular emigrant worker. In addition, it must be considered that in the US labor market they persist 8 million vacancies without covering.
The lack of workers in some sectors is closely related to the increase in prices of essential goods such as example, housing. The lack of masons and other professionals causes losses of 2 400 million euros per year and 19,000 houses less built
The current US administration has made immigration control one of its main axes of action. This has resulted in an increase in the arrests of migrants in the first semester of 2025 until reaching a 750 daily averagewhich doubles the figure per day of the last decade. On the other hand, attempts to cross the border between Mexico and the US lower value in decades.
According to an investigation published in August 2025 by the Think Tank INDEPENDENT PEW Research Center from data from the US Census Office. total migrant population residing in the country has fallen for the first time in the last five decadesfrom 53.3 million at the beginning of the year to 51.9 million in June. This fall reflects both a decrease in arrivals and an increase in voluntary returns to countries of origin.
Thus would affect employment
Pew Research Center has also estimated that 20 % of the US workforce. In 2023 he was migrant (33 million people), of which 10 million were in an irregular situation. Sectors like the construction, agriculture or hospitality They will have serious difficulties in being viable without migrant workers, which will also affect the use of the local population.
In this conclusion, researchers from the University of Colorado-Denver arrived, who analyzed The consequences of deportations carried out during the Governments of Obama in counties throughout the country. They concluded that the increase in expulsions reduced the presence of immigrant workers, but also caused falls in total employment and negatively affected the productive fabric where immigrants were already a structural part. The absence of Guatemalan storms that harvested lettuce made the American truck driver who distributed it lost its job.
The uncertainty that affects the whole of the migrant population in the US call programs parole humanitarian implemented by the previous Biden administration. These mechanisms granted them a temporary entry and stay permit in the country, with authorization to work and the possibility of extending their stay.
500,000 people in the legal limbo
The new administration has terminated these protection measures, with the Supreme Court supportleaving more than 500,000 people in a legal limbo: they can no longer renew their work permit or guarantee their temporary residence status, which would have to return to countries marked by socio -political conflicts and economic precariousness.
The initiative of parole Humanitarian has allowed to verify that the existence of ordered, safe and legal emigration channels They are a good measure to reduce the weight of irregular migration and suffering that this entails for the migrants themselves. In addition, mitigate the difficulties and abuses that an irregular stay in the country of destination usually accompanies.
Uncertainty is, in short, the feeling that will accompany millions of migrants in the coming months and their families in countries of origin. This feeling will also affect US employers and workers.
The increase in raids, facilitated by a greater budget, will add pressure to a productive system that works thanks to the workforce and talent from abroad, as evidenced by the accident on the Baltimore bridge.
In the coming months they will strengthen the tensions between immigration control and real economy. A labor market with full employment and millions of non -covered vacancies will end up colliding with border closure policies.
