McAllen News, McAllen burg TX News, UTRGV, Business resources showcase

Staff Report

Edinburg, TX - The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Office of Workforce & Economic Development will host the UTRGV Business Resource Showcase: Regional Information Series on March 31 in Pharr, featuring presentations and a resource fair focused on business support programs and regional partnerships. The event will highlight services and initiatives designed to assist entrepreneurs, small businesses and organizations across the Rio Grande Valley, including participation opportunities for Edinburg-area stakeholders.

Program details

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at the Pharr Global Business Hub, located at 301 S. Cage Blvd. Registration and networking will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed by program presentations from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The showcase will include informational sessions and a resource fair featuring UTRGV leadership, program representatives and regional partners.

Topics scheduled for discussion include small business resources, start-up incubation programs and internship partnership opportunities. Additional subject areas include government contracting, business consulting, professional development and continuing education programs available through UTRGV and partner organizations.

Regional relevance

The event is part of a regional information series highlighting workforce development resources and economic initiatives available throughout the Rio Grande Valley, including Edinburg. Organizers state the showcase is designed to provide a centralized setting for businesses, entrepreneurs and organizations to learn about available support programs and partnership opportunities.

Source -- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Office of Workforce & Economic Development

The amount of natural gas produced and marketed in the United States reached a record high in 2025, up by 5.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to average 118.5 Bcf/d, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). About two thirds of production occurs in three regions--Appalachia, the Permian Basin, and the Haynesville Shale. These three areas accounted for 81% of the growth last year.

The Appalachia region in the northeastern US produced 31%, followed by the Permian Basin with 23%. Production growth in Appalachia had been slowing due to pipeline constraints, but the situation is improving.

Permian Basin growth

The Permian Basin experienced the largest gain (up 11%), about half of overall gains last year. Most of the growth in the region is due to associated gas produced along with oil, and during much of 2025 crude prices were high enough to support significant activity.

Production is also expanding in the Haynesville region of Louisiana and Texas. Wells are more expensive to develop in that area, but proximity to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals reduces transportation costs.

The Gulf Coast connection

Virtually all LNG facilities are located along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. Exports have grown sharply over the past decade, from near zero in 2016 to 569.3 billion cubic feet for the month of December 2025. The US is now the largest source of LNG shipments, and current construction could double capacity over the next few years. It is noteworthy that, even with this growth, natural gas prices have not risen substantially, and, in fact, hit a low not seen in decades in March 2024.

Pipelines from the Permian Basin connect to the Gulf Coast, and the addition of new lines in recent years has somewhat reduced an extreme shortage of takeaway capacity. What was once a major problem, having too much associated gas stuck in West Texas (as proven by extremely low and even negative prices at times at the nearby Waha hub), has become a valuable resource.

Exports

The rapid growth in US LNG exports is beneficial from a variety of perspectives. It provides access to additional markets for US production, supporting development of resources and infrastructure. It has also been crucial to energy security in Europe and Asia. For example, since Russia invaded Ukraine, US LNG has been crucial to filling the gap in Europe and preventing a major supply crisis. The rapid expansion of energy-intensive AI data centers is also spurring demand for domestic use to generate electricity.

Development of the US natural gas market and LNG capacity stabilizes critical access, thus reducing supply shocks and price escalation during major geopolitical conflicts. As recent events have dramatically demonstrated, that can be very good thing!

Stay safe!

Dr. M. Ray Perryman

In a few months, we will celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The importance of that monumental event to the world as we know it today was heightened by something else that occurred a few months earlier. March 9, 1776, saw the original publication of Scottish philosopher Adam Smith’s seminal work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

The “Invisible Hand”

This treatise was a weighty tome, difficult to slog through and inclusive of digressions that seemed interminable. It was not greeted with any particular fanfare, yet it provided a framework for the notion of organizing an entire economy around markets. Drawing heavily on the tenets of Natural Law that dominated thinking at the time, it described the market as an “Invisible Hand” acting as a guiding force in the decisions of producers, workers, and other economic actors through basic incentives. The idea is that by acting in their own self interest and informed by signals such as prices and wages, individuals simultaneously promote the good of society. There have been myriad refinements over time, but the basic precepts remain intact.

Although markets as places of commerce date back to ancient civilizations, this book was one of the first explanations of how they could also function as the organizing mechanism for economies. It also set forth frameworks for new ways of thinking about key topics such as the division of labor, where production is broken down into specific tasks to increase productivity.

Jefferson embraced Smith’s ideas

As you may remember from Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson “missed the eighties,” having lived in France between 1784 and 1789. While there, he became engrossed in the notions of The Enlightenment and acquired a three-volume set of The Wealth of Nations, which he later described as the best book about money and commerce that existed. (He later acquired a second set, and I have been fortunate enough to hold both of his copies in my hands.) Jefferson often quoted from the book, and it clearly influenced his ideas surrounding the structure of the new United States.

As the government was being formed in the late 1780s, that influence resulted in the formation of not only a republic, but one based on the notions of markets and capitalism being the driving force in the fledgling economy. It was a unique structure at the time, and it has made all the difference.

An independent republic and a market-based economy

The combination of those two things–an independent republic and a market-based economy–and the freedoms that they brought have allowed the United States to become the most prosperous country in the history of the world. Dr. Smith’s epistle deserves its own moment of celebration!

Stay safe!

Photo Caption: For the first time in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas College, the RGV Partnership, the North American Development (NAD) Bank and Trust for the Americas are joining forces to address and meet the demands of a shrinking water and wastewater workforce through an initiative called Skills for Sustainability (S4S). STC is taking the lead on this workforce training with a new Level 1 Wastewater Operator Training program recently presented to municipalities at RGV Partnership. Photo courtesy STC Communications.

Amanda Sotelo, STC Communications

For the first time in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas College, the RGV Partnership, the North American Development (NAD) Bank and Trust for the Americas are joining forces to address and meet the demands of a shrinking water and wastewater workforce through an initiative called Skills for Sustainability (S4S).

Trust for Americas is an organization that empowers underrepresented individuals with the skills to thrive through employability, entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, and S4S is its flagship workforce development initiative along the U.S.-Mexico border, first introduced in El Paso and Cuidad Juarez, funded by NADBank and focused on water, energy and waste management sectors.

A call-to-action

Leading training efforts for this initiative, STC’s Carlos Margo, Ph.D., dean for Center for Advanced Training and Apprenticeships (CATA), called this initiative a call-to-action because of the increasing demand for a skilled water and wastewater workforce.

As a result, STC is creating a brand-new Level 1 Wastewater Operator Training program, set to begin in October 2026. The course, still in the planning and design phase, will be accredited through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), include 20 contact hours and offer classroom, lab and internship instruction.

“These trainings are essential, highly relevant and provide career pathways for those who complete them,” said Margo. “At STC, our department is all about workforce training, providing classes across the entire Rio Grande Valley from Starr County to Brownsville. We already work with over 150 employers who request our training to reskill and upskill their workforce with instruction tailored to fit their specific needs. Being part of this initiative is one more way we are expanding our reach and enhancing the RGV.”

Heavy Equipment Operator Training

As part of Skills for Sustainability, STC will also offer its Heavy Equipment Operator Training program, a 108-hour, comprehensive program that combines classroom instruction with hands-on training with dozers, excavators, skid steers and motor graders, including operation, safety and precision techniques.

The S4S initiative set to launch over the next few months has proven successful with 431 graduates and a 90% job placement rate across El Paso and Juarez, helping El Paso Water close its entry-level staffing gap and enabling career advancement for senior staff.

In the RGV, S4S will serve Hidalgo, Willacy, Starr and Cameron Counties, beginning with 19 incumbent workers at McAllen Public Utilities in backhoe safety, environmental stewardship and workforce readiness. It will also train 30 new participants from low-income communities for entry-level water and wastewater roles and TCEQ certification.

Partnerships

Regional Program Manager at Trust for Americas – Washington, D.C., Lourdes Serrano and Project Manager Jorge Marquez expressed their gratitude to all local partners collaborating in this initiative, including the former Texas Workforce Commission Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez, Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley and local economic development corporations, that will provide strategic support and matching funds.

“We’re going to be seeing at least 30-50% of the U.S. water and wastewater workforce retire within the next decade,” said Marquez. “The core model of S4S will include structured needs assessments, close partnerships, tailored curricula and secured hiring commitments to ensure participants have a clear pathway to stable employment. This will strengthen the regional water workforce by expanding proven, demand-driven training into RGV communities, and with our established partnerships, we can make this another successful project.”

From partnership personalization to placement and reporting, S4S is a 10-month project set to run through January 2027.

For more information on S4S and customized training provided by STC CATA, visit southtexascollege.edu/cata/.

Dr. M. Ray PerrymanPe

Despite a wealth of natural resources, Venezuela has been facing prolonged upheaval, punctuated by hyperinflation, corruption, and a resultant humanitarian crisis. Recent developments, including the US removal of Nicolas Maduro, offer hope for meaningful improvement, though the situation is still evolving. Given the country’s vast oil reserves, the changing dynamics have also naturally raised questions related to the implications for global energy markets.

With more resources than any other country--some 300 billion barrels--Venezuela represents an important potential source of future oil and gas. There are various ways to measure reserves, and Venezuela tops them all.

Insufficient infrastructure

However, significant challenges must be confronted before production can meaningfully increase, and it will take years to overcome a variety of issues. One problem is that the necessary infrastructure is insufficient, outdated, and extensively damaged. Substantial capital investments would be required, and energy-related infrastructure is but one of many aspects of the economy and society requiring immediate attention.

The government also remains somewhat unstable, with various factions attempting to gain power. In addition, critical structural aspects of the economy are currently problematic, particularly currency and the banking system. This substantial uncertainty will deter major long-term private investments for any type of meaningful infrastructure.

Previous losses

Drilling and production outlays (including by US oil companies) will also take time to implement due to difficulties with property rights and the legal environment. Major energy firms have extensive and adverse prior experiences in Venezuela, including the loss of billions in private assets as fields and production were nationalized. Until confidence rises that the commitments will be protected, such activity remains unlikely. The risk-adjusted shareholder returns are not yet sufficient to attract resources as compared to other deployment alternatives.

The situation is evolving, and it is unclear whether it will be possible to substantially enhance oil and gas activity in the immediate horizon. Over time, it is possible that obstacles can be resolved and resources can be tapped, but given the measured pace of increase, major market reactions appear unlikely. Particularly relevant to the Texas energy sector, the crude in Venezuela is largely of the “heavy” variety, which is not a viable substitute for the oil produced in the Permian Basin and most other areas in the state. It could be beneficial to refineries in Texas, however, as many of them are designed to use this type of oil as one part of their mix.

Long and bumpy road

There are pressing needs in Venezuela to address shortages of basic necessities, and developing oil and gas reserves can provide much-needed capital inflows. However, it will be a long and likely bumpy process to ramp up production, and major effects on oil markets will tend to be muted in the near future.

Stay safe!

Photo Caption: STC is on the way to launching a first-of-its-kind Associate of Applied Science in Artificial Intelligence (AI) created to meet a growing demand for AI-skilled workers in the region by 2026. Photo courtesy of STC Communications

Joey Gomez, STC Communications

McAllen TX - South Texas College is launching a first-of-its-kind Associate of Applied Science in Artificial Intelligence (AI) created to meet a growing demand for AI-skilled workers in the region.

The new degree program is expected to open in the fall of 2026.

Over the next year, STC’s Cybersecurity program will finalize the new AI associate degree with direct input from industry and will align it with local workforce needs, according to program faculty who said the degree aims to prepare students for a rapidly growing job market.

Designed from scratch

“There are no templates for AI in the workforce catalog, so we designed every course from scratch based on industry needs,” said Cybersecurity Assistant Professor and Department Chair Francisco Salinas. “Our goal is to give students the skills, hands-on experience and certifications to qualify for the jobs of today and tomorrow. So, whether you go into healthcare, IT, cybersecurity or manufacturing, AI knowledge is becoming a must.”

The upcoming AI degree has already received initial approval including clearance from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and STC advisory committees, which represent local industry partners, and have been instrumental in guiding what skills and knowledge the program will deliver, ensuring it is tailored to the region’s workforce demands, according to Salinas.

Two options available

Students will have two options in the program – a one-year certificate track totaling about 16-30 credits or an associate degree requiring 60 credits. The certificate serves as the first half of the two-year degree, allowing students to continue seamlessly into the second year to complete an associate degree.

“I see real potential for growth, especially with this planned AI curriculum,” said Cybersecurity expert and current STC adjunct faculty Dirce Hernandez, who is already set to be among those full-time faculty starting with the new AI associate degree. “My background will always be cybersecurity, but I’m excited to eventually teach in STC’s AI program.”

Coursework will cover topics such as machine learning, Python programming, operating systems and database integration. Salinas emphasized that while programming like Python is already taught for Cybersecurity, the focus on AI will be on applying coding to build intelligent applications and robotics.

Partnership with tech giants

Salinas is also looking at partnerships with leading technology companies including Intel and Google to embed industry certifications into the degree. These certifications are highly valued by employers and serve as external validation of student skills.

“When students earn Google or Intel certifications, industry leaders recognize their abilities,” Salinas said.

While academic transfer pathways to universities may be limited because of the technical nature of the degree, STC has ensured students can transition into the college’s bachelor’s programs, particularly the Bachelor of Applied Technology in Computer Information Technology (BAT-CIT).

Similar to the existing Cybersecurity track, this pathway keeps all credits intact, allowing students to move directly into a bachelor’s degree without losing time.

Aligned with employer needs

By building the program with direct input from employers and aligning it with local needs, STC’s new AI associate degree aims to prepare students to adapt to exciting changes in the workforce as a result of AI, according to industry leaders.

“If you don’t get on board with AI, you’re going to be left behind. That’s true not just in IT or cybersecurity, but in marketing, HR, manufacturing and every other sector,” said Hernandez. “AI is already becoming a minimum requirement in job descriptions. Students who ignore it will struggle to compete in the job market. The smart students will use AI to enhance their skills and make themselves more efficient and attractive to employers.”

Salinas stressed that AI is already mainstream and students who do not learn it risk being left behind in the workforce.

AI now a critical skill

“It doesn’t matter if you embrace AI or not because industries already expect you to know it,” Salinas said. “Whether you go into healthcare, IT, Cybersecurity or manufacturing, AI knowledge is becoming a must.”

For more information on STC’s AI program, visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/cybersecurity/ or call 956-872-3461.

Staff Report

McAllen, TX - The City of McAllen and Workforce Solutions will host the Career Expo on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the McAllen Convention Center, offering job seekers access to hundreds of employers and thousands of job opportunities.

Event details and schedule

The Career Expo will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the McAllen Convention Center, located at 700 Convention Center Blvd. Organizers describe the event as the largest job fair in South Texas.

According to event information, more than 200 employers are expected to participate, with over 4,500 job openings available across multiple industries.

Job seeker services

Attendees will have access to on-site interviews, resume-building assistance and free professional headshots. Employers will represent fields including healthcare, government, construction, hospitality, retail, education, transportation and administrative support.

A job seeker workshop is scheduled from 8:20 to 8:45 a.m., providing early entry to the expo for workshop participants. Topics include job search strategies, interview skills and workplace etiquette.

Additional information

The Career Expo is organized in partnership with Workforce Solutions and local agencies. Event organizers noted that some employers may conduct on-the-spot hiring during the expo.

Source -- City of McAllen and Workforce Solutions.

Staff Report

McAllen, TX - The Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurant in McAllen is now the only remaining location in Texas as the once-national Italian dining chain continues to shrink amid widespread closures, according to a recent report by The Street, an online business news site.

Chain reduced to single-digit locations

The article reports that Macaroni Grill, a longtime competitor to Olive Garden, has been reduced to just nine restaurants nationwide after years of financial struggles, ownership changes and declining traffic at casual dining chains. Most remaining locations are concentrated outside Texas, making the McAllen restaurant a geographic outlier.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill was founded in 1988 in Leon Springs, near San Antonio, by restaurateur Philip J. Romano and quickly grew into a national casual-dining brand. The chain reached its peak in 2004, operating 219 locations across the United States, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Its expansion slowed several years later, and in late 2008 Brinker International sold its majority interest in the company, a move that was followed by the start of its restaurant closures, according to a Brinker press release.

McAllen stands alone in Texas

All other Macaroni Grill locations in Texas have closed, leaving the McAllen restaurant as the state’s sole survivor. The report did not indicate plans for immediate closure of the McAllen location, but noted that the chain’s overall footprint has dramatically contracted from its peak, when it operated hundreds of restaurants across the U.S. and internationally.

Industry pressures cited

According to The Street, Macaroni Grill’s decline reflects broader challenges in the casual dining sector, including rising labor and food costs, changing consumer preferences and increased competition from fast-casual and local dining options. The chain has gone through multiple ownership changes and bankruptcies over the past decade.

Uncertain future

While the McAllen restaurant continues to operate, the article notes that the future of the brand remains uncertain given the small number of remaining locations nationwide.

Source -- The Street online business and restaurant industry report.

Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune

McALLEN — U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz promised to explore new ways for migrants to work legally in the construction industry.

The Republican announced on Monday her plans to meet with the U.S. Department of Labor, after South Texas builders voiced frustration with how immigration arrests at construction sites were negatively impacting their industry. De La Cruz suggested the U.S. should create a special visa program for construction workers, similar to the H-2A visa program that allows foreign nationals to work in the agriculture sector.

“We’d like to see where the construction industry would fit,” De La Cruz said.

President Donald Trump won reelection after promising to step up deportations. During the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested more than 9,100 people in South Texas alone.

“They elected me to represent them in Washington, D.C., and to be their voice, even when it pushes against the Trump administration,” De La Cruz added. “At the end of the day, I want to represent South Texas, and I want to represent our community and make sure that we continue to be prosperous.”

There’s ongoing interest among Republicans to create a new category of legal workers — a softening to the hardline stance many in the party have taken for years. Republicans in Texas and Washington, led by Trump, have argued in part that stricter immigration enforcement would open up more jobs for Americans.

One year later, some members of Congress are attempting to find a middle path.

In September, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, a Pennsylvania Republican, resubmitted legislation he previously introduced in 2023, the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act, that would create a new visa category for nonagricultural workers.

De La Cruz’s open support for a new status for construction workers comes after a meeting with the South Texas Builders Association on Monday.

During the closed-door meeting, builders discussed issues the construction industry is facing, but they also raised questions about their rights when one of their construction sites is targeted by ICE officers, according to Mario Guerrero, executive director of the association.

“We’re trying to figure out what rules apply with all these raids that are happening, if there’s any that do apply, because we’re not really being informed if people need to show warrants or not,” Guerrero said. “She’s willing to figure that out and get us that answer.”

For months, the fear of ICE raids has scared off workers across several businesses, including construction and restaurants. The challenges in the Rio Grande Valley’s construction field gained renewed focus after Guerrero held a large gathering of industry leaders in November.

The meeting drew more than 300 people, including business professionals from the lumber, real estate, banking and construction industries as well as a handful of local elected officials. Representatives from each took turns sharing how their business had been hurt by ICE arrests, which have prompted work to stall.

Since then, Guerrero and the builders association have been invited to meet with congressional leaders like De La Cruz and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat who co-sponsored Smucker’s bill.

“We’re trying to do the right thing,” Guerrero said. “If we need to keep having these meetings in order for us to keep moving in the right direction, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

This isn’t the first time De La Cruz has suggested the nation’s immigration laws should be changed. Last year, De La Cruz introduced the Bracero 2.0 bill, which was meant to address labor concerns in the agricultural sector by making changes to the H-2A visa program.

The bill aimed to streamline the application process for agriculture employers and launch a regional pilot program that would allow workers to change jobs within a state without having to reapply for a visa. It would also have set wages for H-2A workers to match the state minimum of where the contract is taking place, plus $2.00 per hour and expanded H-2A contracts from 10 to 12 months.

While the bill has not been put to a vote, the Department of Homeland Security enacted a new rule to streamline the application process for H-2A workers in October.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

Picture above: A group of home builders in the Rio Grande Valley said construction has slowed amid an increase in arrests by immigration officers. Photo by Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune

By Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune

McAllen TX - One morning in mid-November, Mario Guerrero, the executive director of the South Texas Builders Association, was checking a group chat when a video of federal agents detaining people from a construction site popped up.

He watched the video of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining workers who were pouring cement in front of a home in an idyllic neighborhood here in the Rio Grande Valley.

For nearly a year, Guerrero had seen similar videos or read news reports of arrests and raids. This was the last straw.

The raids and the specter of more to come have struck fear in construction workers, causing many to stay home. ICE agents have arrested more than 9,100 people in South Texas — nearly one-fifth of all such arrests in the entire state since Trump took office, according to government data provided by ICE in response to a FOIA request to the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the Texas Tribune.

Without enough workers, construction has slowed, sending a ripple effect throughout the economy. Economists suggest that this will drive housing costs up — even as Texas officials focus on bringing such costs down.

Later that afternoon, Guerrero posted a video of his own on the association’s Facebook page in which he addressed the construction community, local elected officials and the public.

“I would like to start off this video by saying that I am an American citizen, and it’s crazy that we’re living in times where you actually have to state that,” Guerrero began.

He said he believed law enforcement should do their jobs, but was disturbed by the fact that ICE agents were operating without arrest warrants — which they are legally allowed to do — and detaining people who have proper authorization.

“It’s what’s happening across the Rio Grande Valley at construction sites,” he said.

He ended the video by calling on local leaders to attend a meeting later that month to discuss the ongoing challenges facing the construction industry because of ICE raids.

“It’s time that we have our leaders show up,” he said. “Our people are hurting, our businesses are hurting. There’s no labor.”

Guerrero’s candor about how the construction industry is suffering as a result of ICE raids grabbed the attention of the Rio Grande Valley community. For months, residents openly assumed that the construction industry was being negatively impacted, but had yet to hear anyone in the industry officially acknowledge it. Data from the Federal Reserve of Dallas shows a 5% drop in construction jobs during the third quarter of this year, the single largest dip in jobs in the region.

ICE did not respond to an interview request or list of questions The Texas Tribune sent.

With his comments, Guerrero opened the door for others to finally speak openly about it, catching the attention of state and federal officials.

“Construction can’t continue”

When the day of the meeting arrived, more than 380 people filled the room at the Brookhaven Event Center in Pharr. It was packed with people who worked in nearly every facet of construction and development, including concrete, lumber, real estate, and lending. A handful of elected officials also attended.

During the roughly hour and a half that they met, those industry representatives took turns to discuss the hits their businesses had taken because workers were too frightened that ICE would show up at construction sites. They also warned of how the larger Rio Grande Valley economy would suffer if the ICE arrests didn’t stop.

“Business is down significantly,” Ronnie Cavazos, board presidentof the South Texas Builders Association, told the crowd. “If we continue on this trajectory, we will see a lot of businesses fail.”

Isaac Smith, a co-owner of Matt’s Building Materials, said his family’s stores were struggling to get lumber out the door.

“If job sites are getting raided, at any level, the construction can’t continue,” Smith told the Tribune. “It’s not a fun situation to be in.”

Smith said his sales had seen a rate of decline in the double digits since the ICE operations began. He’s also seen an increase in late payments from customers with a credit line from the store.

“That takes an adverse effect on our cash flow and how we operate, how we manage expenses, and money coming in, and money going out,” Smith said.

“We wish it would stop”

During the Nov. 17 meeting, Cavazos took a moment to bring attention to the people directly affected by the raids — the workers.

“Let me tell you about immigrants in this country. Nobody believes in the American dream more than them,” Cavazos said in his remarks.” The immigrant should be celebrated, treated with dignity and allowed to work and provide for their families.”

Every few days, videos of ICE operations gain widespread attention. Jesus, a 42-year-old construction worker who asked his last name not be used because he and his wife are undocumented, said he and his fellow workers keep a lookout for ICE when they’re out on a job — if they go to work.

Jesus has drastically decreased the number of jobs he takes, just enough to ensure his family can survive.

“We hardly work anymore; we’re afraid to go out into the street,” he said. “We don’t look for work because we’re scared.”

He estimates he brings in about 60% less than he used to before the raids began. He, his wife and their four children try to survive off the diminished salary that he brings in.

“We wish it would stop, but we don’t control these things,” Jesus said. “The government does.”

Unintended consequences

With fewer construction workers available to build homes, delays in building could result in a shortage of homes and cause home prices to rise.

It would not be the first time that changes in immigration policy could be at least a partial factor in housing unaffordability.

Researchers found that under an Obama-era immigration enforcement program, deportations led to a shortage of labor in the construction sector and, therefore, fewer new homes.

The program, called Secure Communities, was launched during the George W. Bush administration but was expanded under former President Barack Obama, leading to more than 300,000 deportations from 2008 to 2013.

Nationwide, there was a 2% to 3% decrease in labor in the construction industry and a 5.7% decrease in new constructions during that time. The new constructions that were getting built went up in price by 4.4%, according to Dayin Zhang, one of the researchers and an assistant professor at the Wisconsin School of Business.

“It is difficult to forecast the future, as many economic conditions have changed over the past two decades,” Zhang said. “However, given the current pace of deportations, it is reasonable to expect that shortages in construction labor and housing will become more severe than the period of Secure Communities.”

How that might translate to today will likely depend on the total number of people deported under the Trump administration. The administration claims more than 600,000 have been deported since Trump took office in January, though immigration advocates have questioned the accuracy of their numbers.

Thrust into the spotlight

Since the meeting, Guerrero has received an unusual amount of attention for someone who usually stays off social media.

His video grabbed the attention of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, who asked to meet. The meeting, held at a seafood restaurant, went well, Guerrero said, with Cuellar expressing a desire to bring awareness to the issue at the congressional level.

On Dec. 10, Guerrero attended a private meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott when the governor swung through the Valley to champion his proposals to cut property taxes.

At the end of the meeting, Guerrero introduced himself to Abbott, but the governor appeared to already know who he was. During their brief exchange, Guerrero handed him a letter and invited him to another builders’ meeting in January.

Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

He’s gotten some negative feedback, too. People have left messages on social media accusing him of wanting to exploit cheap labor. He strongly pushed back against that accusation, adding that entry-level laborers are paid the equivalent of $15 per hour.

People on social media also commented that he should be prosecuted or investigated, and told him he shouldn’t be calling out local elected officials.

Guerrero isn’t backing down.

For the January meeting, he has invited more elected officials at all levels of government. He hopes these ongoing public gatherings will bring greater awareness to their plight.

“People maybe don’t understand the magnitude of what’s happening,” Guererror said. “But that’s where we have to come together as human beings, and we need to be a little cognizant about the real situation that we’re facing.”

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Disclosure: Facebook has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

Staff Report
McAllen, TX - The McAllen Chamber of Commerce and the McAllen Economic Development Corporation have announced the appointment of Edward Lopez, general manager of the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton McAllen, to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Local Workforce Development Board.

Lopez brings more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and oversees a staff of more than 70 employees at one of McAllen’s key hotel properties. His selection is intended to strengthen employer representation on the regional board responsible for guiding workforce strategy across Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Workforce Development Board—also known as Workforce Solutions—directs workforce services, job training programs and initiatives that support both job seekers and employers. The board plays a central role in aligning training investments with labor market needs and managing federal and state workforce funds.

McAllen Chamber and MEDC President and CEO Elizabeth Suarez said Lopez’s background in operations, customer service and workforce development will provide valuable insight, particularly for the hospitality and service sectors.

Chamber and MEDC officials said the appointment supports McAllen’s broader goal of developing a skilled, adaptable workforce that meets the needs of local industries and supports long-term economic growth.

Source -- McAllen Chamber of Commerce / McAllen Economic Development Corporation.