President-elect Donald Trump continues to promise a mass deportation effort when he returns to the White House, but questions remain about how such a policy would affect the Texas workforce.

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 5% of the American workforce consists of undocumented immigrants.

In Texas, that number is even higher, with undocumented workers making up 8% of the state’s workforce, totaling more than 1 million individuals.

Many of these workers are employed in essential industries, including farming, construction, meatpacking, housekeeping, landscaping and restaurant services.

Jon Taylor, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said mass deportation is a controversial issue, with supporters arguing for stricter immigration policies.

One such supporter is Texas State Rep. David Spiller, who represents an area near Fort Worth.

“The federal government has identified that about two-thirds of those arrested on federal charges in our country are here illegally,” Spiller said.

But if a mass deportation, like the one President Trump has promised, goes forward, the impact on Texas’ workforce could be severe.

“It would cripple the Texas economy,” Taylor warned. “There are estimates that Texas would be hit harder than most other states.”

Taylor noted that industries reliant on immigrant labor, such as construction and hospitality, may resist mass deportation policies.

The rapid growth of cities along the I-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin could face significant disruption.

“We’ve already begun to see some pushback from agricultural interests, particularly in Texas, questioning whether the scope of deportations being promised would harm the state’s agricultural sector,” Taylor said.

While the full impact of such policies remains uncertain, Taylor emphasized that the only way to know the consequences is to see them unfold.

“If migrants in key industries are suddenly deported, it could lead to a much slower approach to enforcement,” Taylor concluded.

As the nation waits to see how Trump’s mass deportation plan develops, Texas’ workforce, particularly in sectors heavily reliant on immigrant labor, faces an uncertain future.