ICE Raids Halt Los Angeles Construction, Detain 1,600 Migrant Workers

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across Los Angeles have caused a significant portion of the city's large migrant workforce to go into hiding, raising economic concerns as the city struggles to recover from recent wildfires. Los Angeles, which has one of the nation's largest immigrant workforces with nearly 38 percent of workers born outside the U.S., faces labor shortages that are delaying construction and renovation projects. Mayor Karen Bass condemned the deployment of heavily armed ICE agents and military vehicles as a 'military operation' and a political stunt designed to terrorize immigrants, emphasizing the essential role immigrant workers play in the local economy. Between June 6 and June 22, ICE arrested more than 1,600 people in the region, including raids on the Fourth of July that drew condemnation from local officials. Business leaders have reported difficulties staffing projects, with Arturo Sneider, CEO of Primestor, describing the scramble to fill labor gaps amid a labor crisis exacerbated by wildfire destruction costing the city potentially over $250 billion. The ongoing raids and heightened enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration have created widespread fear among undocumented workers, further slowing economic activity and construction efforts in the sanctuary city.