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Chapter 1: What concerns do Red State CEOs have about Trump's plans?
So here's another update on F Around and Find Out. As Steve Inskeep writes, this is fascinating, a red state construction CEO, and it's in Texas, goes on record not wanting to lose immigrant workers. Who would have thought? He favors a guest worker program to legalize employees along the same lines as DACA, hopes Congress will act. You mean like comprehensive immigration reform?
You mean when President Biden was trying to push for strong borders, which we all agree we should have? but also to ensure that there is a labor force of people here who are not criminals, who are working hard to support our economy. And red state governors like yours and Republican voters and MAGA Republicans all said, kill that bill, kill that bill. You're now saying you want what?
What Biden was proposing now that Donald Trump wants to do bloody mass deportations combined with 25% tariffs on Mexico, which is about to do retaliatory tariffs on the United States and 25% tariffs on Canada. Let's dig into this article from this Texas red state CEO who apparently wants what Biden had been proposing and which Republicans gutted. Let's take a look.
It's articles from NPR by Julian Aguilar. Here's what it says. Clear signals President-elect Donald Trump's plans to make good on his campaign pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants in his second term has sparked concerns among some in Texas's business and economic sectors who say mass deportations could upend
Chapter 2: How could mass deportations affect the construction industry?
some of the state's major industries that rely on undocumented labor, chief among them the booming construction industry. I just want to pause there too, because it's my firm view also that if you have a path towards citizenship, as this Republican's red state CEO is talking about. Then you can also treat labor with dignity. We shouldn't have like indentured servitude.
We should treat labor with dignity. And these are jobs that American workers are not filling. I just think it's important that I acknowledge that at the top of this video. Goes on to say, quotes Stan Merrick, CEO of Merrick, a Houston-based commercial and residential construction giant. Quote, it would devastate our injury. We wouldn't finish our highways. We wouldn't finish our schools.
Housing would disappear. I think they'd lose half of their labor. I think, this is just me talking, it's more than half of their labor. That's what common sense and my own observations of these types of things instruct. It goes on to say, talk of the mass roundup comes as Texas is booming.
Texas cities regularly appear on lists of the country's fastest growing communities and construction cranes and workers donning safety vests are common sites in most major cities. That Texas relies on undocumented labor as one of the state's open secrets, despite Republicans tough on immigration stances. I don't really think it's a secret. I just think it's hypocrisy. But I digress.
In 2022, more than half... A million immigrants worked in the construction industry, according to a report by the American Immigration Council and Texans for Economic Growth. Nearly 60% of that workforce was undocumented. Again, my own view, it's probably closer to 85%, but that's just my own view.
The state needs to leverage both U.S.-born and immigrant talent to fill construction jobs that power the Texas economy. MAGA's referring to these hardworking people in America, people. These are people who deserve dignity. MAGA refers to them as vermin, as terrorists, as criminals. They're not. They wanna do worksite raids.
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Chapter 3: What do Texas CEOs say about the labor shortage?
Just even think about how the fear of worksite raids that MAGA's talking about would cause a lot of harm just to work and productivity. Here, Ray Perryman, the president and CEO of the Waco-based Perryman Group, says, quote, it's not remotely practical to round up and deport everyone. He said the reason Texans need so many immigrant laborers is simple.
The Texas workforce isn't large enough to keep pace with its growth. But we've been told now for three years they're taking the jobs away. Now you're telling me that the workforce actually wasn't large enough and these jobs weren't being taken away, but needed to be filled so that other Americans can prosper. Is that what you're telling me?
Chapter 4: Why is immigrant labor crucial for Texas's economy?
Chapter 5: What are the implications of Trump's proposed tariffs?
Housing would disappear. I think they'd lose half of their labor. I think, this is just me talking, it's more than half of their labor. That's what common sense and my own observations of these types of things instruct. It goes on to say, talk of the mass roundup comes as Texas is booming.
Texas cities regularly appear on lists of the country's fastest growing communities and construction cranes and workers donning safety vests are common sites in most major cities. That Texas relies on undocumented labor as one of the state's open secrets, despite Republicans tough on immigration stances. I don't really think it's a secret. I just think it's hypocrisy. But I digress.
In 2022, more than half... A million immigrants worked in the construction industry, according to a report by the American Immigration Council and Texans for Economic Growth. Nearly 60% of that workforce was undocumented. Again, my own view, it's probably closer to 85%, but that's just my own view.
The state needs to leverage both U.S.-born and immigrant talent to fill construction jobs that power the Texas economy. MAGA's referring to these hardworking people in America, people. These are people who deserve dignity. MAGA refers to them as vermin, as terrorists, as criminals. They're not. They wanna do worksite raids.
Just even think about how the fear of worksite raids that MAGA's talking about would cause a lot of harm just to work and productivity. Here, Ray Perryman, the president and CEO of the Waco-based Perryman Group, says, quote, it's not remotely practical to round up and deport everyone. He said the reason Texans need so many immigrant laborers is simple.
The Texas workforce isn't large enough to keep pace with its growth. But we've been told now for three years they're taking the jobs away. Now you're telling me that the workforce actually wasn't large enough and these jobs weren't being taken away, but needed to be filled so that other Americans can prosper. Is that what you're telling me?
Whoa, it's as if we've been talking about this for four years. Like Merrick, he worries that a massive roundup could have a chilling effect on the Texas economy. And we simply don't have an economic structure that can sustain that. There are more undocumented people working in Texas right now than there are unemployed people in Texas, Perryman said. And also those people ain't working those jobs.
Let's be real here. The reason, for example, why the Haitian migrants led to Springfield, Ohio's economy doing well is because other people couldn't fill those factory jobs that existed. The Haitians moved there, got lawful status, they were invited there, and then they were demonized for eating cats and dogs. All right, are you ready for this fact?
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Chapter 6: How does the perception of immigrant workers differ from reality?
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Chapter 7: What role do immigrant workers play in Texas's growth?
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The bottom line is if you just look across the country, our birth rates are at historic lows. Our population growth is at historic lows. We just simply are not making enough people, so to speak, to sustain our economy. But wasn't the whole argument that you were using, wasn't the whole Republican replacement theory, was that that's why you wanted to get rid of the immigrants?
But now you're saying that's why the immigrants need to stay after the election when the person you elected literally ran on the position that could destroy your business and your economy. Now that's where you go. OK, OK. It goes on to say Trump's sweeping campaign pledges likely have the support of Republican border hawks in Texas. First of all, can we stop calling people hawks?
It's like a stupid word. Hawks. Border hawks. These are just hypocritical people. It's a crazy term. Border hawks. You mean just people who are being... Look, we all want a strong border. Let me just be very clear. I don't want criminals. I don't want terrorists. I want the full force of the law to round up criminals and terrorists. If they're criminals or terrorists, period, full stop.
I want a strong border. I agree on a strong border. But we have to also be common sense here. Being a hawk, being like a racist, just being complete, just being dumb, trying to hurt the economy, not wanting to speak in ways that address the facts. Is that what a hawk is?
it goes on to say uh trump's sweeping campaign ledges have support amongst the hawks like i do the hawk thing where a state-led border mission called operation lone star started in 2021 and it's cost taxpayers more than 11 billion dollars that effort included deployment of thousands of texas national guard and state police officers to the border
constructions of barriers that include fencing walls and razor wire on or near the banks of the Rio Grande River and a floating buoy barrier in the river. All signs show Trump will try to make good on his deportation promises. He's tapped Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, who say they're going to do that.
And it goes on to say, meanwhile, the state's undocumented workforce is bracing for Trump policies. Veronica Carrasco is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras. who has worked as a house painter at this company in Texas for 12 years. She said that though she's lived through the first Trump administration, he seems more intent now. His administration is going to be more forceful in the past.
It makes me frustrated and worried. I'm a single mom. I have three children. She's been working as a painter for 12 years, helping our economy, working hard You're going to round her up? The fact that she's even afraid right now, probably can't even sleep at night, and that there are millions of people like this? Breaks my heart.
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