The immigration raids promoted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) during 2025 did not only impact undocumented immigrants. They also caused a sharp drop in employment and affected thousands of workers born in the United States, according to new research on the economic effects of immigration operations in dozens of cities in the country.

The study concludes that the increase in ICE detentions and raids was associated with the loss of approximately 668 thousand jobs in the cities where immigration activity intensified most strongly. The hardest hit sectors were precisely those where thousands of immigrants traditionally work: construction, accommodation services and the restaurant industry.

Brookings research maintains that the “shock and awe” strategy applied by immigration authorities generated economic effects that went far beyond those detained.

Construction and restaurants, the most affected

The data show that the largest job losses were concentrated in industries with high participation of immigrant labor.

Construction led the affected sectors. According to the report, the sudden interruption of work crews caused project delays, cancellations and reduced operations. The lack of workers affected not only immigrants, but also supervisors, machine operators, electricians and other American-born employees.

The accommodation and food industry also took a big hit. Restaurants, hotels and related businesses reported work absences, resignations and difficulties maintaining their operations.

According to a survey cited in the study, 55% of restaurant operators reported negative impacts derived from immigration actions and 18% stated that employees stopped coming to work for fear of raids.

The impact reached American workers

One of the most relevant findings is that job losses far exceeded the number of arrests made by ICE.

Although authorities made about 52,000 additional arrests in the hardest-hit cities, researchers found that each arrest was linked to the disappearance of up to 13 jobs in the local economy.

The report estimates that between 51,000 and 297,000 lost jobs would have been filled by workers born in the United States.

"ICE arrests did not create jobs for Americans. On the contrary, the raids contracted local economies and destroyed jobs," the study concludes.

Less consumption and businesses affected

The research also identified an indirect effect: the fear generated by the operations reduced economic activity in numerous communities.

Many families avoided going out to restaurants, shopping centers, sporting events or recreational activities for fear of encountering immigration agents. As a consequence, sectors with a low presence of immigrant workers, such as entertainment and the arts, also recorded job losses.

The researchers point out that in cities where ICE arrests increased, employment fell up to 1.48% below what would be expected without the operations.

The study concludes that immigration control policies implemented in 2025 generated significant economic costs for local communities and questions the idea that mass deportations automatically benefit American workers.

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