Let me introduce who we are. We are South Texas Builders Association, and I'd like to go over our mission statement so everybody's clear on what we stand for and why we're here.
This mission statement, we deliberated for days to come up with it so that it had an impact and it had longevity. And it's broken up into three parts. The first part being about builders, the second part being about our industry, and the third part being about our community.
The most important thing that we thought would impact our industry are builders.
We strongly believe that the builder is the middle guy to everybody. If we mentor them, create workshops for them and elevate them, then our whole industry elevates. And so it reads like this: Providing educational guidance and mentorship to our members through seminars, workshops, tutorials, fellowship, to improve the quality of homes and enhance our customer experience. That is, Our Builders.
Our Industry: strengthening relationships between builders, construction industry and real estate personnel by creating an atmosphere of transparency, trust and fairness.
And the third part (Our Community) and the reason that we are here, fulfilling our mission statement, and what we were put here to do by our membership is, building pride and confidence in our local community by emphasizing integrity, servitude and credibility.
That is our mission statement. That's what we've been following this entire time, and that's what we will continue to follow, because the members that voted us here are expecting that. That's who we are: South Texas Builders Association.
As for my statement, I’m going to keep this very brief. We as a community are going through some really hard times. Numbers are down everywhere, not just in the construction industry, but in retail, hospitality, farming, business, medical, all over, the numbers are down.
We're not a big community. Millions of dollars have been pulled out of this economy. If you can just understand how that impacts all of us, it’s a big deal. Our workforce? Over 9,000 people have been deported just out of our area, disproportionate numbers compared to the rest of the United States. Percentage-wise, we are a very small portion of the US, and yet the deportations are astronomical in our community. That affects us greatly, and we've got to do something about it.
As as our political leaders, I want to say this in a very personal way. We are given an opportunity. We are very blessed to be here. You guys are blessed to be representing the community that raised you. Take that opportunity and do the most that you can would do. I pray this for you, because when you get to a point in life and you realize, man, did I do everything that I could? Did I do the right thing? Did I do it in a positive way, with love and appreciation of where we're from? Don't have regrets, trust me, they will haunt you. Do the best that you can. That is why we elect you. That is why we believe in you, and ultimately, that is what we expect from you.
I believe that we can. We are a people in this area that ,as you saw in the video, we are a peaceful people. We work really hard. Nowhere did you see disruption like you've seen in other areas. We simply do what we do. We fix that concrete slab that didn't get poured, and we move forward. That's the community that you guys represent.
Don't let us down. We need you all. Really need y’all in the day that we're in. It's funny, right? Or ironic that it is Martin Luther King Day. We too have a dream. All of us here have a dream and I’ve got to tell you, we wouldn't be here if we didn't believe in the Promised Land. We have seen it too, and we need y'all's help to get us there.
Thank you for being here. I appreciate y'all, and let's talk. Let's see if we can come up with solutions to take our community once again that raised us forward. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The above commentary was provided by Ronnie Cavazos, president of South Texas Builders Association, at an Immigration Enforcement & Construction Industry Impact Symposium the group held at McAllen Convention Center on Jan. 14, 2026. He was directing his remarks to U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Monica De La Cruz, who participated in the discussion.
