Axios Miami
September 25, 2026
1 big thing: 🏗️ Resi development boom
2. 📉 ICE crackdowns create labor strain
Homebuilders around the country say ramped-up ICE crackdowns are creating huge headaches for their businesses, per a new survey.
Why it matters: The labor strain comes on top of other challenges for the industry: rising mortgage rates, higher prices for key inputs driven by tariffs and the Iran war, as well as growing competition for resources with builders of data centers.
What they're saying: A builder in Jacksonville says: "Current immigration enforcement efforts in our region are causing a strain on both the labor force, labor costs and cycle times."
The intrigue: The remarks in the homebuilder survey were unprompted and "completely unsolicited," says Rick Palacios, director of research at the consulting firm.
Zoom in: The strains come after three straight months of record ICE arrests — in August the agency said it arrested 50,925 people across the country, the highest number in a single month.
Zoom out: Immigration raids discourage legally authorized workers from reporting to job sites, Bill Owens, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, recently said.
- Higher mortgage rates and rising material costs are also weighing on the industry, he said.
- Building material costs are up by a median 6.7% from last year, according to one NAHB survey.
The other side: "There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force," said White House spokesperson Lauren Bis.
The big picture: Immigrants made up more than 26% of the construction workforce in 2024, per the most recent Census Bureau data on the industry.
- But in certain trades, the share is much higher — immigrants make up 57% of those working on drywall and 53% of roofers, according to an analysis of that data released earlier this year by NAHB.
3. Cafecito: Miami Freedom Park subcontractors sue
4. 😎 Shaq at FAU
5. 🏈 Go Fins!
Axios Miami
