Miami Businesses Report Staffing Gaps as TPS Terminations and ICE Enforcement Squeeze Immigrant Workforce

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 18, 2026

Federal terminations of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian, Venezuelan, Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Syrian nationals—combined with intensified ICE enforcement—have created measurable staffing shortages in South Florida's hospitality, agriculture, and construction sectors. The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association estimates the TPS rollback affects roughly 93,000 hospitality workers statewide and is seeking a 90-to-120-day transition window from DHS before work permits lapse. Construction employment in the five hardest-hit enforcement states fell 1.3% while growing 3.3% elsewhere, and one-quarter of U.S. construction workers are foreign-born—with more than 700,000 holding TPS or DACA protections. A Department of Labor filing acknowledged that unemployed American workers are unlikely to fill the gap left by immigrants exiting the labor force due to removal fears.