Immigrants Are the Backbone of Central Ohio’s Economy — But ICE Raids Are Shaking That Foundation

Immigrants are not just part of Central Ohio’s economy — they are its backbone. From construction sites to hospitals, warehouses to restaurants, immigrant labor fills the gaps that native-born workers often leave open. But the Trump administration’s ramped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids are destabilizing this vital workforce, putting entire industries at risk and tearing families apart.

Ken Simonson of the Associated General Contractors of America lays it out plainly: “You may be able to get the foundation and the framing done, but if you can’t put a roof on, you’re not going to finish the building.” Many immigrant workers handle the crucial finishing trades — flooring, drywall, roofing — that keep construction projects moving. Yet a third of construction firms surveyed nationwide say they’ve been directly or indirectly impacted by immigration enforcement actions. Delays, higher costs, and stalled projects are becoming the new normal.

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s Andy Hardy underscores that the problem extends well beyond construction. Immigrants staff everything from hospital cleaning crews to logistics and food service. They fill the “hard-to-fill jobs” that Americans often won’t take, and they fuel the population growth driving Central Ohio’s booming housing market. Census data shows international migration accounted for two-thirds of Columbus’s population growth between 2020 and 2025.

But the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown threatens to reverse these gains. Luis, a Mexican immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years and worked in his brother’s flooring and construction business, is now detained in Butler County Jail. Despite having no criminal record, Luis was stopped by ICE agents on the way to a job site and has been held for months without a court date. His lawyers are fighting for his release, but his future remains uncertain.

Luis’s story is far from unique. ICE’s aggressive deportation push is disrupting lives and livelihoods, sowing fear across immigrant communities. DHS claims due process is guaranteed, but reporting shows many immigrants languish in detention centers, sometimes far from their home countries.

The consequences ripple beyond individual families. Simonson warns that when immigrants feel unwelcome, industries reliant on their labor will suffer. “That attitude compounds the risk that construction will not have the chance to hire qualified workers,” he said. Without immigrant labor, Central Ohio’s economic growth could stall or even reverse.

The Trump administration’s immigration policies are not just about law enforcement — they are reshaping the economy and communities of places like Central Ohio. As ICE raids continue, the region faces a stark choice: embrace the immigrant workers who build and sustain it, or watch its economic foundation crumble under the weight of fear and enforcement.