How immigration sweeps could take a toll on Colorado鈥檚 construction industry

In The NoCo

How immigration sweeps could take a toll on Colorado鈥檚 construction industry

By In The NoCo,

Ariel Lavery, Erin O'Toole, Brad Turner

Published March 10, 2025 at 5:40 AM MDT

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Courtesy Chloe East

Mass deportations are bad for the construction industry, says Professor Chloe East, who studies the effects of deportation policy on the economy. The economic data showed, "there is a big chilling effect as a result of mass deportations, and there was a big chilling effect as a result of Trump's rhetoric as well," she said.

An estimated 13 percent of the construction workforce in Colorado is made up of immigrants without legal status, according to the . These workers often handle lower-paying jobs at construction sites like installing drywall or laying bricks.

Colorado has a housing shortage. So we wondered what is likely to happen to Colorado鈥檚 construction industry as the Trump administration imposes sweeping deportation policies and threatens mass raids?

We reached out to who has studied the effects of deportation policy on the construction industry, for answers. East is an associate professor of economics at the University of Colorado Denver. She has been investigating the economic impacts of detaining and deporting immigrants without legal status since Trump first took office in 2016.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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