Page 2 - aruba-today-20190507

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 7 May 2019
U.S. to add 30,000 seasonal worker visas as soon as this week

By COLLEEN LONG cate the visas was based in
Associated Press part on the fact some busi-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nesses could face irrepara-
Trump administration plans ble harm if they can't em-
to allow 30,000 more for- ploy the workers. The two
eign workers temporarily departments have jointly
into the United States for decided to raise the cap
seasonal work through the during the past two fiscal
end of September, a move years, but it was only 15,000
that reflects how the boom- more in those years.
ing economy has compli- Acting Homeland Security
cated President Donald Secretary Kevin McAleen-
Trump's efforts to restrict le- an said Monday the addi-
gal immigration. tional visas were a tempo-
Details of the plan were in a rary fix.
draft rule obtained by The "The Department of Home-
Associated Press. It would land Security continues to
benefit oyster shucking urge lawmakers to pursue
companies, fisheries, log- a long-term legislative fix
gers and seasonal hotels, that both meets employ-
including Trump's own Mar- ers' temporary needs while
a-Lago club — all of which fulfilling the president's Buy
use the visas to hire mi- American and Hire Ameri-
grants for temporary work In this April 25, 2017 photo, Stephen Faulkner, far left, owner of Faulkner's Landscaping & can executive order to spur
Nursery, installs an irrigation system alongside workers Gonsalo Garcia, center, and Jalen Murchi-
they say Americans won't son, right, at a landscape project in Manchester, N.H. higher wages and employ-
do. Associated Press ment rates for U.S. workers,"
The visas, known as H-2Bs, McAleenan said.
will be granted only to re- said. ficult for employers to find in-law Jared Kushner has According to the most re-
turning foreign workers U.S. Citizenship and Immi- labor, and the number of been working on his own cent data from U.S. Citi-
who have had the visa gration Services will begin seasonal visas has been immigration overhaul zenship and Immigration
before, over the last three taking applications from capped at 66,000 per fiscal package for months, meet- Services on visa approvals,
fiscal years. Many of the employers on behalf of the year -- a figure some busi- ing with lawmakers and in- half of the visas went to
visa holders return to the workers once the tempo- nesses and lawmakers say terest groups, trying to put horticultural and agricul-
same employers year after rary rule is published in the is badly outdated, espe- together legal immigration tural workers. Food service,
year. Those workers have Federal Register, expected cially when the unemploy- and border security chang- forestry and logging work
already been vetted and on Wednesday. ment rate is the lowest it's es that Republicans can and fisheries, hunter trap-
are trusted and not likely to The strong economy has been in 49 years . rally around heading into pers made up the bulk of
stay past their visa, officials made it increasingly dif- Employers have argued the 2020 presidential elec- the rest of the 2017 visas.
that they desperately need tion. Sens. Thom Tillis of North
more labor, pitting busi- Trump had once railed Carolina, a Republican,
nesses against those both against legal immigration, and independent Angus
inside and outside of the arguing -- despite con- King of Maine, along with
White House who say the flicting evidence -- that Reps. Andy Harris, R-Md.,
visas take away American foreigners hurt American and Chellie Pingree, D-
jobs. Trump has also ben- workers by competing Maine, and about 25 other
efited personally from both for jobs and driving down bipartisan lawmakers in the
seasonal workers and peo- wages. But Trump has re- House and Senate, sent a
ple working in the country cently changed his tune, letter to Homeland Security
illegally at his golf clubs. saying he's now in favor of this year saying they were
Within the White House, more legal immigration be- working on a solution for
there are some, like adviser cause of economic gains the visa cap, but until then
Stephen Miller, who seek to on his watch. the increase was badly
restrict legal immigration, Trump announced the needed.
including reducing visas for change during his State of But a separate group of
high-skilled workers and sus- the Union speech, when he bipartisan senators, includ-
pending or limiting entry to said he wanted people "to ing Democrat Dick Durbin
the U.S. for individuals from come into our country in of Illinois and Iowa Republi-
countries with high rates of the largest numbers ever, can Chuck Grassley, wrote
short-term visa overstays. but they have to come in last month they were con-
Meanwhile, Trump's son- legally." cerned the visas enabled
The debate has played out worker exploitation and
in Congress, too, with two fostered human trafficking
bipartisan groups sending and debt bondage be-
letters to Homeland Secu- cause of the fees associ-
rity, one urging an increase ated with the visas.
in the number of temporary "Americans working along-
visas and one expressing side H-2B visa holders can
concern over a possible in- find it difficult to compel
crease. employers to abide by fed-
Homeland Security and eral and state labor and
Labor Department officials employment laws," the sen-
said the decision to allo- ators wrote.q