Immigration Crackdowns Spark Labor Crisis for American Job Creators
Veteran and entrepreneur David Rebolloso spent decades serving his country. Now, he’s fighting to save the small businesses he built from the ground up—businesses being strangled by labor shortages tied to recent immigration crackdowns.
A native of Brownsville, Texas, Rebolloso proudly served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, followed by a decade in healthcare. With his wife, he invested their hard-earned savings into launching a cleaning company, eventually expanding into the laundromat business in 2014. With the help of a $2 million SBA loan, he opened a second location this year.
But instead of growth, Rebolloso is now watching his American dream slip away.
“Customers are telling me people are afraid to even leave their homes,” Rebolloso said. “My original laundromat has lost half its customers, and the new one is only making 40% of what it should. It’s not sustainable.”
Economic Fallout Hitting Local Businesses Hard
Rebolloso says revenue is down more than 30%, and he’s using leftover savings from his cleaning company just to cover basic costs. At this pace, he says he can only keep things running for another few months.
“Small business owners like me—we’re the backbone of the economy. But Washington’s policies are crushing us,” he said. “We need solutions that secure the border without bankrupting local businesses.”
His story echoes what contractors, landscapers, and construction companies across Texas are now experiencing. The construction industry, which has long relied on immigrant labor, is reporting widespread shortages.
Texas Construction Faces Workforce Shortage Amid Policy Shift
Ruben Mercado Jr., president of Ipsum General Contractors LLC, says nearly 25% of his workforce has disappeared due to fear of deportation.
“We’ve had to hire inexperienced replacements at higher wages just to keep projects from falling behind,” Mercado said. “And some of our subcontractors have lost up to two-thirds of their teams.”
The economic ripple effect is significant. According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants make up nearly 40% of all construction workers in Texas, with that number surpassing 60% in roofing and painting. In Houston, where one-third of the construction labor force is undocumented, studies predict the city could lose over $50 billion in GDP over the next 10 years if the current labor pool disappears.
Securing Borders vs. Supporting American Enterprise
Not everyone agrees that immigration enforcement hurts the economy. Andrew Good of NumbersUSA argues that the U.S. doesn’t need to rely on illegal labor to prosper.
“Our housing and infrastructure were built long before mass illegal immigration,” Good said. “The solution isn’t to undercut American wages—it’s to build a legal, reliable workforce.”
But job creators like Rebolloso say reality on the ground tells a different story—one where heavy-handed federal action, even if well-intentioned, is leaving loyal American business owners behind.
“We served this country. We work hard. We pay taxes,” Rebolloso said. “All we want is a fair chance to keep our businesses alive.”
America First Should Mean Supporting American Workers and Owners
The balance between enforcing immigration laws and supporting small businesses is delicate—but essential. Entrepreneurs like Rebolloso represent the heart of local economies, and their survival shouldn’t be collateral damage in a broader political debate.
As immigration enforcement continues, many are calling on Washington to develop smarter policies that secure the border and protect American prosperity.