Trump's immigration restrictions hit D.C. construction projects

In this image, a construction worker stands in the middle of a clearing surrounded by stacks of steel beams. Trees surround the clearing, and there are also stacks of canoes
A worker looks through materials on a construction site on August 15, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

A massive labor shortage is expected in the construction industry if the Trump administration wins its legal battle to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from El Salvador, Sudan, Honduras, Nepal, Haiti and Nicaragua, the New York Times reports.

The impact: Roughly 20% of D.C.'s construction workers are in the U.S. due to maintaining their TPS, while almost 46,000 people with TPS are in the Virginia, Maryland and D.C. area overall, per the Center for American Progress.

Expert Voices

Autonomy milestones in other sectors could build trust in AVs

Illustration of a car made out of a bunch of different cars
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Instead of trying to design fully automated vehicles from scratch, the way forward might be to adapt limited technologies that have already proven themselves in specific settings, and gradually add capability.

Why it matters: Adapting new technology from successful use-cases where safety is paramount, like in mining, could assuage public concerns about AVs, and accelerate AV development and production.