Construction industry in Clark County feeling pinch due to stepped-up ICE enforcementSubscriber Exclusive

Clark County’s construction industry has suffered a yearslong shortage of workers, especially skilled ones. An uptick in immigration enforcement is making it worse.

“I’m seeing a lot of people just not showing up for work,” the owner of one local construction company said. The Columbian is withholding the owner’s name so the company is not targeted by immigration agents.

Some of the company’s usual subcontractors have seemingly disappeared.

“It’s disheartening when you’ve been working with these people for over a decade,” the owner said.

It’s hard to say what percentage of the local construction workforce is made up of immigrant labor. The Building Industry Association of Clark County doesn’t track that data and hasn’t had any contractors report issues with immigration enforcement.

But a quarter of Washington contractors said immigration enforcement has led to subcontractors losing workers, according to an August survey from the Associated General Contractors of America and the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

In October, the National Association of Homebuilders endorsed the Dignity Act of 2025, House Resolution 4393, currently being considered in Congress. The bill would combine measures to curb illegal immigration with “a fair and responsible pathway to permanent work authorization for certain undocumented workers.”

The association said the construction industry is facing a severe labor shortage.

“The homebuilding industry risks an exacerbated skills gap if long-term workers with unique technical expertise are not given the opportunity to continue providing vital contributions to increase America’s housing supply,” stated an October news release from the association.

Immigrant workers make up nearly a third of the nation’s construction workers, according to the association.

“The immigrant workforce plays a critical role in meeting the nation’s housing needs,” the news release stated.

The local construction company owner said skilled workers are difficult to replace with younger or newly hired workers. A new worker won’t be able to frame a home immediately, for instance. That’s something that takes years to learn.

“You have to be highly skilled to do those things,” the owner said.

What does this mean for the local industry?

“This is going to be a huge driver in labor costs,” the owner said. “And we just got hit with huge material increases with the tariffs.”