Preliminary data suggests more than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the United States’ labor force between January and July – an indication that President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies will have a significant impact on the workforce.
Immigrants make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. labor force, according to census data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, with many working in farming, fishing, forestry, construction, and the service sector.
But as a result of Trump’s crackdown on immigration, the number of migrants, both with legal status and in the U.S. illegally, is declining, according to Pew’s analysis.
It’s unclear how much of that decline can be attributed directly to voluntary departures versus removals directed by the Trump administration. Data about undocumented immigrants is notoriously difficult to obtain due to underreporting.
The decline in foreign-born immigration participation is reflected in official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which also estimated a drop of about 1.2 million people between January and July.
The loss of immigrant participation in the U.S. workforce coincides with an overall decline in the country’s immigrant population.
Trump campaigned on the promise to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. and used false data to claim undocumented immigrants were “taking” jobs away from U.S. citizens.
Roughly 45 percent of immigrants working in the U.S. are employed in farming, fishing, or forestry. Those jobs have seen a decline in participation since administration officials directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct sweeping deportation raids
“We have a large labor force that is undocumented,” Elizabeth Rodriguez, the director of farm worker advocacy for the National Farmworker Ministry, told the Associated Press. “We’ve seen ICE particularly targeting construction sites and attempting to target mechanic and repair shops.”
Rodriguez said many crops went to “waste” during the cantaloupe and watermelon season in May due to fewer workers.
ICE agents have descended upon farms this past year to conduct immigration raids – potentially scaring other day laborers away from jobs.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement, “There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump’s agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administration’s commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws.”
Other sectors, such as construction, have also faced worker shortages in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Roughly 30 percent of all construction workers are immigrants, according to Pew.
Approximately 92 percent of construction companies are facing project delays due to a workforce shortage, the Associated General Contractors of America said at the end of August.
For years, many construction companies have struggled to find qualified workers to assist on projects. Tens of thousands of immigrant workers have helped close the gap, allowing for projects to be built on time.
Another major sector likely to be impacted is home healthcare. Immigrants make up roughly 43 percent of home care aids, Pew said. Census Bureau data, analyzed by KFF, suggests that immigrants make up 28 percent of the workforce providing health care directly.
But Trump’s decision to end various asylum programs that provide immigrants with temporary legal status could hurt the quantity of providers for home aide services, assisted living facilities, or nursing homes.
“What’s going to happen when millions of Americans can no longer find a home care provider?” said Arnulfo De La Cruz, the president of the Los Angeles-based Service Employees International Union local, told AP.
“What happens when immigrants aren’t in the field to pick our crops? Who’s going to staff our hospitals and nursing homes?”
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