Fear of profiling empties out Charlotte construction sites with Border Patrol in city

Desiree Mathurin, The Charlotte Observer on Nov 19, 2025

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the U.S. Border Patrol continuing its sweep through Charlotte, work at some construction sites seem to be coming to a halt.

“There’s not a lot of workers outside,” said Kevin Rodriguez, who works for a local roofing company. “A lot of people didn’t show up. Maybe some of them are legal here and maybe some of them aren’t, but everybody’s getting profiled due to skin color.”

About 29% of construction workers in North Carolina are “foreign-born,” according to a 2023 report from the North Carolina Department of Commerce. And overall, about 68% of “foreign-born” individuals participate in the state’s labor force, the report adds. That’s more than the 59.8% of “native-born” North Carolinians.

But Rodriguez and others in Charlotte have said regardless if workers are in the U.S. with documentation, they still feel targeted by Border Patrol.

“It’s a little bit scary having to look over your shoulder every once in a while nowadays because of your skin tone,” Rodriguez said. “American citizen or not.”

The U.S. Border Patrol has arrested over 250 people since Saturday, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

And some of those arrests were made at construction sites and in front of hardware or home improvement stores, including several Home Depots and Lowe’s across the city.

From 300 Charlotte construction workers to 30

David Ravin, CEO of developer Northwood Ravin, said his subcontractors were reporting numerous absences on Monday, Border Patrol’s third day in Charlotte.

“We have three active projects under construction in Charlotte and between the three, we would typically have 300 to 400 people on site,” Ravin said. “We probably had 30 total.”

Ravin reiterated that the lack of workers isn’t indicative of a lack of documentation.

It’s fear.

“The sensation around Border Patrol and what they’ve been doing has put a fear into a lot of people who don’t want to put themselves in a situation,” Ravin said.

It’s too early to know whether construction projects will face delays because of a decline in workers. However, Ravin said if the decline continues, there are several bigger conversations to be had.

Immigrant workers are a major part of many labor forces, including construction, landscaping and hospitality, Ravin said. “If the labor force feels threatened and isn’t coming in…that’s an issue,” he said.

Labor costs could increase because people who are coming in will be in higher demand, Ravin said. For housing construction, that cost could trickle down to renters and potential homeowners.

There could also be an impact on potential businesses looking to relocate to Charlotte.

More than 1,000 international businesses call the Charlotte region home, according to the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.

There’s no information on whether raids have occurred at those sites. But in Georgia, a raid at Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing site led to the detainment of 475 people. About 300 were South Korean nationals, and many had valid visas.

Some of the detainees are beginning to return to Georgia, but others said they would not, the New York Times reported. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also previously said the raid could impact foreign investment within the U.S.

In Charlotte, it’s unclear if larger foreign businesses are expressing concern.

But local businesses, mainly Hispanic businesses, are feeling the sting of fewer customers and fewer workers.

“Most of these people are just here to work, make a living and what everybody comes to America to do is have a dream,” Rodriguez said. “And they aren’t doing that right now.”