
This South Texas region flipped for Trump. Now it's seeing red over his immigration policies.
NBC News
More than a year since President Donald Trump flipped the traditionally Democratic Rio Grande Valley, his deportation agenda is running headlong into the region’s workforce.
PHARR, Texas — More than a year since President Donald Trump flipped the traditionally Democratic Rio Grande Valley, his deportation agenda is running headlong into the region’s workforce.
Several homebuilders who spoke to NBC News said they’re worried about whether they will make it through the year without the framers, foundation pourers, drywallers and other workers who were arrested in construction site immigration raids or who are too afraid to work.
Several builders openly acknowledge that the region relies on immigrant workers, many of them undocumented, a number of whom have been working and living there for years.
“This will put us out of business if it continues,” Ronnie Cavazos, president of the South Texas Builders Association and the owner of The Structure Team construction company in Mission, said this month at a luncheon in nearby McAllen, Texas.
The region has largely avoided clashes between federal agents and opponents of Trump’s immigration policies, despite high immigrant populations. Many support strict border policies and targeted enforcement and deportations.

The Trump-appointed board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted unanimously Monday to shutter the arts mecca for two years for renovations.“Major renovations are required to keep the facility functional, and that will start right after July 4,” the center's vice president of public relations, Roma Daravi, said in a statement.“This project will transform the Center into a world-class destination worthy of the nation’s legacy and future — a landmark where every American is welcome to experience artistic excellence and premiere entertainment,” Daravi said












