ICE-ing Out Home Building in Central Virginia

We’re used to delays in new construction. Weather, COVID-supply chain stuff, delayed permits, and in 2026, two new things are being thrown at us in Albemarle County specifically, and Central Virginia more broadly.

I represent a fair number of people buying new construction, and I can usually logically explain delays, and the builders can, too. Not anymore. Patience is more important than ever.

First, Albemarle does not have enough building inspectors. (9/10/2026)

Due to previously approved leave and staff departures, this week the Albemarle County Community Development Department (CDD) has a single inspector attempting to conduct all the requested building inspections across the 720.5 square mile county. You read that correctly ONE inspector.

And now, ICE

You might have seen the photos of ICE taking people from construction sites in Central Virginia. These are the people building the homes. The framers, tile people, the roofers – the human beings doing the work to give people places to live.

Why are homes so expensive in Charlottesville and Albemarle? In part because we are a great place to live. I’d argue we are now starting to see the effects of ICE taking the people building the houses.

This issue affects everyone – builders’ holding costs, buyers’ ability to plan and budget, people selling homes hoping/trying to build a new home, yes Realtors, but this isn’t about me – other people trying to build houses, people selling the stuff that goes in houses, and again the buyers who are trying to buy a house in an increasingly volatile economic environment.

Builders tell me that labor is missing right now, and people are afraid. This is not good for the economy or the country.

“Where are the framers?” is a question I have heard more than once.

People just want to build, buy, sell, and live in homes.

Removing valuable people from the workforce and community is counter to good decision making and leadership. And, it’s inhumane.

I’d love to see local Blue Ridge Homebuilder Association (NAHB has) and Realtor Associations speaking out in support of a reasonable immigration policy or strategy.

With the local silence, here’s my tiny voice. We need more.

Nathan Alderman at C-Ville has been writing extraordinary immigration stories.

• Forty traffic stops missing from Greene County sheriff’s legally required data for June 23 immigration raids
• They tried to fit in and follow the rules—until traffic stops turned their lives upside down
  ‘We are terrified’
• What the data suggests about Greene’s recent immigration raids
• Greene County Sheriff’s Office stages mass immigration detention in concert with federal officials

1. Trump’s Clashing Goals: More Housing, Fewer Immigrants
(archive.ph link)

To address the United States’ acute housing shortage, Congress recently passed a landmark piece of legislation designed to encourage the construction of new homes.

The problem is that President Trump’s crackdown on immigration has taken aim at the work force required to build those homes.

2. The ‘Shadow Surge’: Fear of ICE Raids Slows U.S. Construction and Drives Up Housing Costs

Builders say even legally authorized workers are staying home as immigration arrests climb, stretching schedules and budgets in a country already short about 1.2 million homes.

3. America is suffering a shortage of construction workers and sabotaging its ability to fill vacancies by wiping out the industry’s immigrant backbone (archive.ph link)

A working paper recently published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found employment among likely undocumented immigrants dropped 4% on average in areas where ICE conducted recent raids. Construction was the most affected industry the researchers tracked, with employment dropping 7.5% for undocumented workers. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) estimates 35% of construction workers are immigrants.

Despite immigrants’ role in the construction industry—and the broader economy—the Trump administration has taken substantial efforts to curb immigration. On Friday, the White House announced that most foreigners seeking green cards must go back to their home countries in order to apply, a policy shift that could impact hundreds of thousands of foreigners seeking permanent residency in the U.S.

But it’s not just construction jobs at risk because of the immigration crackdown, economists warn.

“If the supply of immigrants is cut off, as it seems to be with the borders effectively closed these days, I think it will get much harder for the construction industry to fill positions,” Ken Simonson, chief economist at AGC, told Fortune.

Best laid plans and all.