Research indicates that Nevada has the highest number of foreign-born workers per capita in the United States.
According to the American Immigration Council (AIC), President-elect Donald Trump's proposed mass deportation of 11 million immigrants could result in the removal of approximately 136,000 workers from the state. This would lead to a significant loss of jobs in construction, hospitality, and other essential service sectors in Nevada.
Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget and Economy
"I do not support a far-reaching plan just to scoop up immigrants across Nevada and the country. 189,000 immigrants. We know we have a large number of mixed-status families. We have dreamers. We have TPS holders. We have to be sure that we find a way to protect them. We should work on comprehensive immigration reform, and now, where I agree with the president, we have to get rid of anyone who has committed a crime," said (D-NV) Senator Jacky Rosen.
As we reported, this situation could lead to a significant reduction in various service sectors.
Specifically, almost one-quarter of skilled construction workers and 13% of hospitality workers could be removed from the workforce.
Additionally, it may result in the loss of 43% of landscaping and groundskeeping workers, 42.5% of construction laborers, 41.6% of carpenters, 35.3% of housekeeping workers, and 25.4% of cooks.
However, Washoe County GOP Chairman Bruce Parks points out that mass deportation would take years, and Americans will likely fill the vacant positions.
"I'd like to know exactly what industries they're talking about that Americans are not interested in working in. By and large, the major industries in Nevada are the service industries and mining," said Parks. "Americans have always been willing to work, and they'll work any jobs that are available."
Janet Najera manages the Undocumented Student Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Najera advocates for undocumented students, whether fully undocumented, with DACA status, or if they come from mixed-status families.
"Letting them know that they do have rights within this country regardless of their immigration status," said UNR Undocumented Student Program Manager Janet Najera.
Due to limitations on what jobs the immigrants students can pursue after graduation, those students also contribute to job creation, as they often pursue non-traditional employment pathways.
"Many of them go into fields that are independent contracting based or entrepreneurship, which means they develop their own businesses, so we can also see how much of an impact professionals have when they are graduating from the economy," said Najera.
The American Immigration Council reports that undocumented immigrants contributed over $500 million in taxes in Nevada in 2022. However, Bruce Parks argues that this $500 million contribution does not cover the costs that taxpayers incur due to these immigrants' reliance on essential services and infrastructure.
The AIC estimates that deportation operations would cost the country $315 billion.
"Do you really think they're going to just take 140 thousand people and immediately eliminate them from the workforce? No. This is a process and it's going to take time. It's not going to be instantaneous. Now, I do know for a fact that you to employ an illegal alien is in itself a crime," said Parks.
