Date: February 20, 2013 For Immediate Release

Contact: David Guzman Phone: 915-209-2551

PRESS ADVISORY
New Report Finds Undocumented Workers are Critical to the Texas Construction Industry Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project and the Labor Justice Committee Release Study of Undocumented Construction Workers TEXAS As the immigration debate heats up in D.C., organizations in Texas are calling for comprehensive reform by releasing new data on the number of undocumented workers in the states construction industry. On February 21st the study Build a Better Nation: A Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform will be released by Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project (PCRP) and the Labor Justice Committee (LJC). The report, put together by the Workers Defense Project in Austin, examines the impact of current immigration policy by investigating undocumented labor in the Texas construction industry. Using data from 1,194 individual worker surveys conducted at randomly selected construction sites in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and San Antonio, 35 in-depth interviews with workers, employers, and industry leaders, as well as secondary sources, Build a Better Nation details the effects of current immigration policy on workers, business, and the Texas economy. This issue is particularly important for Texas, given that the state has the second largest undocumented population behind California. Texas is home to 15% of all undocumented immigrants 7% of its total population.i Additionally, construction is one of the nations most critical industries, and Texas is the countrys fastest growing state. Construction accounts for one out of every 20 dollars generated by the Texas economy and over 10% of all construction output in the US,ii and one in every 13 Texas workers labors in this industry. PCRP and LJC are part of a statewide coalition with groups from El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and the Rio Grande Valley to advocate for a strong immigration reform proposal that protects the rights of workers.

WHAT:

Report release: Build a Better Nation: A Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013 1:30 PM Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project 1317 E. Rio Grande Ave. El Paso, TX 79902

DATE: TIME: WHERE:

i ii

Passel, Unauthorized Immigrant Population, 14; 15. Gross Domestic Product by State [Texas], BEA; Construction Industry Top 10 States by GDP, EconPost.