South Texas Builders Install Barbed Wire to Block ICE Entry

Construction firms in South Texas are erecting barbed wire fences and posting signs around their properties to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from entering without a court order.

Business owners report that recent immigration enforcement actions have increased in frequency over the last several weeks. They state that workers, including those with legal authorization to remain in the United States, are avoiding job sites due to fear of being questioned or detained based on their appearance.

In San Juan, Texas, building contractor Benigno Meléndez installed a fence and posted signs declaring the land private. Meléndez explained that agents often enter unfenced areas without a warrant. "If you don't have a fence with a sign that says 'do not enter' they don't consider it private and they go in," he said.

Meléndez noted that the measures aim to prevent agents from entering construction sites without a judge's order. He pointed to an incident in Brownsville where an ICE agent pointed a gun and a pepper spray canister at a worker who identified himself as a U.S. citizen. "Who dares to come to work if you know they are going to come question you, beat you, point the guns at you as we saw in Brownsville, imagine?" he asked.

Yahaira Martínez, a construction company owner, said the fear has spread among her employees regardless of their immigration status. "Even if they are here legally with a permit and everything, they are still afraid to go to work because of everything that is happening with immigration," Martínez said.

Mario Guerrero, CEO of the South Texas Builders Association, stated that guidance from the U.S. government prompted the decision to fully enclose properties. "This is what the government in the United States told us: if you don't have your property fully closed off, front and back, even a house is not private," Guerrero said.

Ronnie Cavazos, president of the South Texas Builders Association, argued that the system needs repair before laws are strictly enforced. "How do we strengthen the laws of a broken system? .. First fix the system and then enforce the laws; so, for me, it was done backwards," Cavazos said. The association has requested federal help regarding what it describes as indiscriminate arrests. Members reported that the raids are affecting labor availability in restaurants, hospitals, and agriculture.