As the year comes to a close, it is worth pausing to reflect on what has been a challenging and consequential year for Hispanics in the construction industry. Across the country, Hispanic contractors, tradespeople, and construction professionals have continued to carry a disproportionate share of the industry’s workload, even as economic uncertainty, labor shortages, rising costs, and regulatory pressures tested the resilience of our businesses and our workforce.
Despite these challenges, the Hispanic construction community has done what it has always done:
shown up, adapted, & delivered.
Our firms continue to build America’s homes, infrastructure, and commercial spaces, often under increasingly difficult conditions. That resilience deserves recognition.
First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude to our NHCA National Board of Directors, as well as the local board members who lead our ten NHCA chapters across the country. Your collective leadership, guidance, and commitment to the mission of the National Hispanic Construction Alliance have been instrumental during a year that demanded clarity, patience, and resolve. The continued growth and strengthening of our chapter network over the past year is a direct reflection of that leadership at both the national and local levels. Thank you for lending your time, your expertise, and your credibility to an organization that continues to grow in both reach and relevance.
I also want to thank our NHCA members. Your engagement, trust, and willingness to participate—whether through events, conversations, data sharing, or advocacy—have strengthened this Alliance in meaningful ways. NHCA’s growth this year is a direct reflection of your belief that our industry is stronger when Hispanic construction professionals are organized, informed, and represented.
This past year also reinforced an uncomfortable truth:
The construction industry’s workforce challenges cannot be solved without addressing immigration.
Immigrant labor, particularly Hispanic and Latino workers, remains foundational to construction in the United States.
Yet we continue to operate within an outdated immigration framework that does not reflect the realities of today’s labor market or the economic contributions of immigrant workers.
In this regard, I want to recognize and thank the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) for its leadership and consistency in the immigration reform space. ABIC has been a steady, credible voice for practical, business-driven immigration solutions that recognize both the needs of employers and the dignity of workers. Their work this year has helped elevate the conversation beyond rhetoric and toward solutions rooted in economic reality.
As we look ahead to 2026, the path forward is clear, and it requires more from all of us. Immigration reform cannot remain a side conversation or a reactive talking point. It must become a central component of workforce planning, economic competitiveness, and industry sustainability.
For Hispanic construction professionals, this is not an abstract policy debate; it is a daily operational reality.
NHCA will continue to play its role by convening stakeholders, elevating data, and advocating for policies that expand opportunity and strengthen our industry. But progress will require broader engagement. I encourage our members, partners, and allies to stay informed, lend their voices, and actively support efforts that move immigration reform forward in a thoughtful, solutions-oriented way.
The challenges we faced this year have sharpened our focus. The opportunities ahead demand leadership, collaboration, and courage. If we are serious about the future of construction and about the communities and workers who sustain it, then 2026 must be a year of action.
Thank you for your continued support, your partnership, and your belief in the work we are building together.