Workers press D.R. Horton to block warrantless ICE raids
Twin Cities construction workers organized through Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) plan to confront homebuilding giant D.R. Horton at its regional office Wednesday, demanding the company bar ICE agents from its jobsites unless they present a judicial warrant. CTUL says ICE has already 'raided and harassed' crews three times this year at a D.R. Horton development in Shakopee and previously hit another Horton site in Chanhassen, sparking a highly visible December standoff that drew neighbors and police. The group wants the nation’s largest homebuilder by volume to publicly condemn ICE’s escalated worksite tactics in Minnesota and call for the agency to pull back its Twin Cities operations, arguing the raids are 'unlawful' and are scaring immigrant workers off the job and destabilizing the construction labor market. CTUL says it has repeatedly offered Horton resources and model language to keep federal agents off private construction property without a proper warrant, but has received no response. In the context of Operation Metro Surge, this pushes a new front: holding prime contractors publicly accountable for whether they stand up to or quietly accommodate federal worksite sweeps on metro building sites.
📌 Key Facts
- CTUL will visit D.R. Horton’s regional office Wednesday to demand a commitment to keep ICE off construction sites absent a judicial warrant.
- The group alleges ICE has 'raided and harassed' workers three times in 2026 at a D.R. Horton Shakopee worksite, following a December raid at a Chanhassen site that drew protests.
- CTUL is urging D.R. Horton to publicly condemn ICE escalations in Minnesota and to support a pullback of Twin Cities operations, saying the raids harm immigrant workers and the construction economy.
📊 Relevant Data
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota is a targeted enforcement operation by ICE aimed at arresting noncitizens with serious criminal convictions, including pedophiles, rapists, and violent offenders, resulting in more than 400 arrests.
ICE Arrests the Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Including Pedophiles, Rapists, and Violent Thugs — Department of Homeland Security
Foreign-born individuals constitute 7.7% of Minnesota's construction workforce, with a total of 14,475 foreign-born construction employees.
Immigrants Make Up Just 7.7% of Minnesota's Construction Workforce, 12th Lowest in the U.S. — Southernminn.com
Illegal immigrants were less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans between 2010 and 2023, with incarceration rates for illegal immigrants at 0.64% compared to 1.5% for natives in 2023.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Foreign-born workers accounted for nearly 60% of Minnesota's total labor force and employment growth from 2019 to 2023, helping to mitigate labor shortages in various industries including construction.
The economic contributions of New Americans in Minnesota — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Nationally, immigrant laborers hold 22% of jobs in the construction industry as of 2024, accounting for more than a third of the 1.5 million jobs added to construction between 2015 and 2024.
If Trump wants more deportations, he’ll need to target the construction industry — Minnesota Reformer
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