ICE crackdown prompts some Texas Latinos to turn away from Trump

McAllen, Texas — Benny Melendez, the owner of a small construction company along this stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, says he's been forced to take drastic measures to protect his immigrant workers. "If I don't install fences, ICE is going to come into my property and take my workers away," Melendez said as he showed CBS News the fencing he's set up at one of the several construction sites he manages in South Texas. Melendez says the fencing is designed to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from arresting his workers, and to require them to have judicial warrants before entering his job sites. Local officials say construction is one of the industries hardest hit by President Trump's sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration.

Construction company owners like Melendez say they're struggling to find workers, with some having been detained by ICE and many scared of showing up to work and getting arrested. Building a home, he said, is now taking his team a year due to manpower issues — up from an average of four months before the Trump administration's crackdown began. "We're blessed that we have two workers today," Melendez said. The South Texas resident, who voted for Mr. Trump in 2024 after supporting President Biden in 2020, said ICE operations have also made him rethink his vote.