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For nearly a decade, spanning Trump’s first term, the Biden administration, and now Trump’s return to office, the worker said he saw the same pattern play out again and again. When illegal labor flooded construction sites, American workers were squeezed out or forced to accept lower pay.
Contractors consistently chose the cheapest labor available. That labor often came through subcontractors paying foreign workers wages far below market rates.
That changed overnight.
With ICE agents visibly active, illegal workers stopped showing up to job sites. The risk was no longer worth it. As a result, American workers stepped in to fill the gaps.
The Louisiana worker said he now has more contracts than he can reasonably take. His family is benefiting directly from higher demand and better pay. For the first time in years, he is no longer competing against labor paid at a fraction of standard wages.
The Numbers the Media Avoids
The mainstream press rarely discusses how dependent the construction industry has become on foreign labor.
National data shows that roughly one out of every four construction workers in the United States is foreign born. In states like Texas and California, that figure rises to around 40 percent.
Even more striking is how many of those workers are in the country illegally. Estimates suggest that more than half of foreign born construction workers lack legal status. That translates to as many as 1.6 million construction jobs filled by people who should not be in the country.
This system did not develop by accident.
Large contractors routinely rely on labor brokers and subcontractors who pay rock bottom wages. These workers often receive no overtime, no benefits, and no labor protections. The result is a bidding war where the lowest bidder wins, and American workers lose.
In Texas, construction labor costs are roughly 40 percent lower than in heavily unionized Northeastern cities. That gap exists largely because illegal labor suppresses wages.
The long term damage is clear. In California, construction wages hovered around $45 an hour in the late 1980s. By 2018, after decades of mass illegal labor entering the industry, some of those same jobs paid close to $11 an hour.
Deportations Help American Workers
Biden repeatedly argued that immigration enforcement would harm the economy. His administration warned that removing illegal workers would lead to labor shortages and higher costs.
Louisiana is showing the opposite.
As DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “as illegal aliens continue to exit the labor force, more Americans are finding steady and gainful employment.”
Economic research backs this up. Studies indicate that native workers in occupations heavily impacted by illegal labor often see wage increases between 3 percent and 7 percent when enforcement removes unfair competition.
Even the New York Times has acknowledged that stricter immigration enforcement could lead to wage gains of up to 17 percent for construction workers. That admission alone explains why Democrats and legacy media outlets work so hard to downplay these effects.
Louisiana Leaders Back American Workers
Operation Catahoula Crunch was designed to target criminal illegal immigrants being released under sanctuary policies. But its secondary effect has been just as powerful.
With illegal workers gone, Americans are filling those jobs.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry backed the operation fully, including renovating the Angola state penitentiary to house arrested criminal aliens. State law enforcement coordinated with federal agents, and Attorney General Liz Murrill warned that anyone interfering with ICE would face prosecution.
That is what real support for American workers looks like.
Not empty speeches. Not excuses. And not policies that flood the labor market with cheap labor while pretending it helps working families.
The Narrative Is Collapsing
The young Louisiana construction worker did not need a think tank or a press conference to make his point. His experience alone exposes the lie at the heart of the open borders agenda.
When illegal labor disappears, American wages rise. Families benefit. Communities stabilize.
For years, Democrats insisted this was impossible. Louisiana just proved them wrong.
