On a cool November morning, electrician Gabriel Far\u00edas loads his tools into the back of a white van parked outside a housing complex under construction east of San Diego. He takes a sip of coffee and shakes his head. \u201cEverywhere I work, there are immigrants,\u201d he says. \u201cThey do the jobs no one else wants. For me, they\u2019re essential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Far\u00edas came to California several years ago and now works legally for a local company. He says the construction sector, already stretched thin, would collapse without immigrant labor. But lately, something has changed. \u201cAround midyear, you could already notice it,\u201d he tells California Latino News. \u201cBefore, immigrants used to show up looking for work every day. That\u2019s dropped a lot. Many are afraid of raids or being deported.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s not imagining things. A recent Pew Research Center analysis<\/u><\/a> based on U.S. Census Bureau data shows that as of June 2025, there were about 51.9 million immigrants living in the United States, down from 53.3 million in January, a drop of roughly 1.4 million people in six months. That decline has already rippled through industries that depend heavily on immigrant workers, from construction and agriculture to food processing and caregiving.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n At UFCW Local 135<\/u><\/a>, one of Southern California\u2019s largest unions representing grocery and food industry employees, president Todd Walters has been watching the trend with growing concern. Sitting in his office near downtown San Diego, Walters points toward a large map of the U.S.\u2013Mexico border hanging behind his desk. \u201cIf we just close our minds and say we don\u2019t want any type of immigration, we\u2019re going to have holes in our economy,\u201d he says in an interview with California Latino News<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He points out that thousands of people cross daily from Tijuana into San Diego to work and pay taxes. Many of them have legal work permits or visas that allow them to support both sides of the border. \u201cThey keep this economy afloat,\u201d Walters says. \u201cBut the way the administration is handling things right now, with fear, intimidation, and uncertainty, is hurting our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His words echo across a region that depends on cross-border labor for everything from hospitality to logistics. Tighter border enforcement, more frequent workplace raids, and slower visa processing have combined to create what economists call a chilling effect.<\/u><\/a> Workers who once filled open jobs are disappearing, and employers are struggling to replace them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three hours north, in Los Angeles, Daniel Jefferson sees the consequences every day. He works at the Pilipino Workers Center<\/u><\/a>, a nonprofit that supports immigrant caregivers and service workers, many of them undocumented. \u201cA lot of our members do not want to go out in the world,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re afraid to go to the grocery store. They\u2019re afraid to just live their everyday lives.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jefferson says fear has become a management tool. \u201cEmployers feel emboldened to exploit them, to threaten them with deportation,\u201d he adds. \u201cThat\u2019s illegal, but it\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In neighborhoods across Los Angeles, the anxiety is visible. Food delivery workers avoid police checkpoints. Home care aides travel in pairs. Some families keep children home from school after hearing rumors of immigration sweeps. Jefferson believes the government\u2019s current approach, closing legal pathways and intensifying enforcement, only deepens the crisis. \u201cThe solution is not cutting that off,\u201d he insists. \u201cThen you\u2019re just left with a worse worker shortage. We need a system where workers can be protected and not live in fear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across California, labor shortages are forcing companies to slow projects, shorten business hours, and raise pay to attract workers. Industry groups and economists warn that construction and service jobs are among the hardest to fill, a problem made worse by tighter immigration rules and declining migrant labor. The California Chamber of Commerce has repeatedly called attention to the need for a stable workforce to sustain growth in these sectors.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n For Far\u00edas, the San Diego electrician, that\u2019s already a daily reality. \u201cWe can\u2019t find people,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes I end up doing the work of two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet despite their importance, immigrants remain caught between political battles and economic dependence. Policies designed to deter illegal immigration often end up discouraging legal workers as well, especially when raids and paperwork backlogs spread fear across entire communities. Walters, the union leader, believes the debate has drifted far from economic reality. \u201cThis country\u2019s food supply, construction, health care, all of it relies on immigrant labor,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve built an economy that needs them, but we treat them like they\u2019re disposable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Washington, the White House has defended its tougher stance on border control as necessary to restore order to the immigration system.<\/u><\/a> But for many workers on the ground, order feels indistinguishable from intimidation. Reports of workplace inspections and immigration checks have surged in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in Los Angeles, Jefferson says the emotional toll is heavy. \u201cPeople are tired,\u201d he tells The Fulcrum<\/em>. \u201cThey just want to work, pay their taxes, and go home safely. But right now, they don\u2019t feel safe anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By late afternoon, Far\u00edas is finishing up a wiring job. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and glances at the sun setting behind the hills. \u201cThey say immigrants take jobs away,\u201d he murmurs. \u201cBut if we left tomorrow, who would build these houses?\u201d<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n