Every dawn, long before the heat builds over Texas’s sprawl, crews of construction workers load ladders, tools and plans into trucks, don fluorescent vests and hard hats and drive to job sites for long days of physical labour. For many Latino builders, that morning ritual is now accompanied by a profound and persistent fear: the possibility that immigration agents could appear at any time.
The fear was sharpened by the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a house framer who was reportedly killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The incident, which has reverberated through building sites and neighbourhoods, has left countless workers worried that a routine commute or quick stop at a corner store could result in detention or worse.
Workers and community members say that ICE enforcement in parts of Texas has taken on an organised, mobile character. Accounts describe fleets of unmarked SUVs that circulate near worksites, wait at gas stations and loiter around bodegas, and patrol highways where crews travel. The presence of those vehicles, and the possibility of sudden stops and checkpoints, has made morning travel fraught for many.
“Some Latino builders say they feel ‘hunted like animals,’” one worker told reporters, capturing the fear echoed at construction sites. That anxiety affects more than individuals: contractors, foremen and clients have reported disruptions as labourers alter routes, avoid certain stops, or in some cases decline work that involves travel through high‑patrol areas.
The episode occurs against a backdrop of stepped‑up immigration enforcement under the administration of President Donald Trump, which has placed particular emphasis on workplace checks and arrests. Advocates warn the tactics are straining communities and industries that depend on Latino labour, while officials defend enforcement as part of broader immigration policy.
For the construction workers themselves, the immediate consequence is a daily calculus between earning a living and avoiding contact with immigration authorities. Until there is clarity or change in enforcement practice, many in Texas’s building trades say they will continue to show up to work — but they will do so with heightened vigilance and fear.