ICE

Homebuilder confidence fell to a 14 year low in October. The sector’s labor pool has been constricted by high-profile ICE enforcement.

Immigration enforcement has made it harder and more expensive to find workers, delaying construction in markets like the Rio Grande Valley.

ICE has ramped up immigration arrests. That, on top of changes to temporary protected status, could have huge economic implications.

A procurement method is letting the Department of Homeland Security rapidly acquire and retrofit facilities for immigrant detention, bypassing the transparency typically required for domestic contracting.

“They are literally standing behind the [TSA] officers while they’re checking documents and screening passengers,” said an official of the screeners’ union.

As ICE remains a presence in Minnesota, one Minneapolis cafe is creating a place for everyone to gather, eat what they need, and pay what they want.

La Bodega Taco Bar is a Mexican restaurant in Minneapolis. The owner, Alex Rosario-Torres, said sales are down by around 50% because of the ICE crackdown in the city.

Many businesses who support the shutdown are considering their options: Stay open because they can't afford to lose the income, close and absorb the costs, or stay open and devote some proceeds to immigration causes.

A campaign against ICE is asking people to “join a nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping.” 

Ever since the Civil War, unions and others have used mass slowdowns and work stoppages to advocate for changing things, especially in times of economic uncertainty.