(NEXSTAR) – A group of South Texas Builders visited Capitol Hill and the White House on Wednesday, warning immigration raids of construction sites affect the workforce, and end up raising the price of construction. "A project that was taking maybe 4 to 5 months on an average starter-type home is now taking 8, 9, 10 months, just because of the delays," said Efrain Gomez, the treasurer of the South Texas Builders Association. "It's a huge ripple effect." Construction loans in South Texas have decreased by 30% over the past year, according to Mario Eden Guerrero, the CEO of the South Texas Builders Association. "We don't believe that companies and the economy could sustain this," he said. Guerrero, Gomez and others from the South Texas Builders Association visited Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Cuellar said he arranged a meeting for the builders with ICE leadership and the White House. "We need an immediate, immediate stop to the enforcement on construction sites," said Guerrero. In 2024, President Donald Trump won most of the counties in South Texas — areas that generally vote blue. Analysts and politicians attribute that change to a rejection of border policies under former President Joe Biden. Gomez said builders believe the Trump Administration has gone too far in the opposite direction. "We are for removing individuals that have felonies or [are] criminals," Gomez said. "The way it's being done, the targeted efforts in certain industries, certain areas – that is affecting the local economy." But Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said immigration has hurt American workers. "We have had tremendous amounts of immigration and illegal immigration that has effectively pushed down wages for working people in this country," Hawley said. The White House said 1 in 10 young adults in the U.S. are "neither employed, in higher education, nor pursuing some sort of vocational training." "There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force," White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. "President Trump will continue growing our economy, creating opportunity for American workers, and ensuring all sectors have the legal workforce they need to be successful." But Gomez said the American workforce is not enough to fill the demand for construction jobs. "We don't have the system providing people with the education to actually have a strong workforce in the United States," Gomez said. "The system has failed to provide a proper workforce." Cuellar said he agrees. "I want Americans to have the job first," Cuellar said. "But we know the reality. There's not enough Americans to fill certain jobs." Cuellar is the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. He said, right now, lawmakers are trying to put guardrails on immigration enforcement using the Homeland Security funding bill. "That was my goal," Cuellar said. "Policy changes that can be done right now." Congress has a Feb. 13 deadline to pass a Homeland Security funding bill. The White House's full statement is below. “Over one in ten young adults in America are neither employed, in higher education, nor pursuing some sort of vocational training. There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump’s agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administration’s commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws. President Trump will continue growing our economy, creating opportunity for American workers, and ensuring all sectors have the legal workforce they need to be successful.” – Abigail Jackson, WH spokeswoman