President Donald Trump promised that cracking down on undocumented workers would open jobs for Americans. But according to a Brookings Institution study, the reality was far more complicated and damaging. Cities across the country experienced labor shocks that rippled through communities, local businesses, and households. The enforcement surge didn’t just affect those directly arrested; it touched everyone connected to the economy, leaving U.S.-born workers unexpectedly on the losing side.
From shuttered restaurants to stalled construction sites, the impact went deeper than headlines suggested. Here’s how the raids affected American workers in ways the public rarely sees.
Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs Disappeared
Brookings researchers estimated that ICE’s enforcement surge in early 2025 contributed to roughly 668,000 lost jobs in 86 cities. These losses didn’t just touch the people arrested; they cascaded across businesses and industries, disrupting payrolls, schedules, and project timelines. Local economies shrank as employment fell below expected levels, showing that removing workers abruptly can ripple far beyond the immediate target.
American-born employees were also affected. Between 51,000 and 297,000 of the lost jobs were held by U.S.-born workers, showing that the promise of freed-up jobs for citizens did not materialize. Removing one group can destabilize the work ecosystem, slow productivity, and shrink opportunities across the board.
Construction Projects Ground to a Halt
Construction felt one of the heaviest hits. Teams rely on each worker to keep projects on schedule, from framing and roofing to concrete pouring. When immigrant labor was suddenly missing, delays cascaded through the job site, stalling progress and leaving American-born workers idle. The domino effect meant managers cut hours, subcontractors saw their contracts reduced, and entire projects fell behind, proving that labor shortages disrupt more than just individual workers.
Restaurants Lost More Than Servers
Restaurants experienced a ripple effect as kitchens and service teams were disrupted. Missing prep staff or dishwashers slowed operations, prompting businesses to reduce hours and cut shifts for U.S.-born employees. The study found that local eateries suffered immediate revenue declines because the network of workers who kept them operational was fractured, showing that enforcement policies indirectly affect customer experiences and employee stability alike.
Fear Became an Invisible Job Killer
Beyond arrests, fear changed behavior. Workers stayed home, families avoided public spaces, and shoppers cut back on spending. Brookings notes that even those not directly targeted felt the pressure, reducing foot traffic and local commerce. This shows how enforcement policy can create economic ripples through perception and fear, not just through arrests.
Small Businesses Bore the Brunt
Independent shops, service providers, and contractors struggled to maintain normal operations. Reduced staff meant slower service, canceled orders, and disrupted schedules. Many small business owners rely heavily on immigrant labor, so sudden removals triggered revenue declines that affected both staff and owners alike. The resulting economic drag often extended to U.S.-born employees, showing that raids can inadvertently hurt the communities they claim to protect.
Local Economies Lost Momentum
The broader economic impact hit municipal revenues and neighborhood vitality. Retail, hospitality, and construction slowdowns reduced tax revenue, curbed consumer spending, and dimmed growth prospects for affected cities. Even as some workers were removed from the workforce, the net effect was weaker local economies rather than stronger job markets.
The American Job Promise Fell Flat
Trump’s central message, that deportations protect American jobs, ran up against the Brookings data. The study underscores the complexity of the labor market: employment is interdependent, and abrupt removals can trigger cascading losses. Far from freeing opportunities for citizens, the enforcement surge exposed vulnerabilities in local economies and proved that labor disruptions rarely benefit anyone except perhaps policymakers looking for a headline.
The Brookings findings are a stark reminder that immigration policy is more than numbers. Jobs, families, and communities are connected in ways that cannot be reduced to “one worker out, one job in.” American workers bore the unintended consequences, showing that the labor market is a delicate ecosystem, not a scoreboard to manipulate.
