NumbersUSA - Weekly Newsletter

chris chmielenski

This Issue: Spending bill passes with H-2B increases intact, but how Trump Admin. responds remains to be seen

Fri, May 5^th

Both the House and Senate passed an omnibus spending bill this week that will allow DHS Secretary John Kelly to more than double the cap on the H-2B, low-skilled foreign guest worker program for the rest of the fiscal year.

The bill gives the Administration full authority over the visa increase. We're hoping that the Administration will tell Congress "thanks, but no thanks" on the increase and remain true to Trump's campaign pledge to protect the jobs and wages of American workers.

While the spending bill is a setback for American workers -- especially those without a college degree who depend on the jobs filled by H-2B visa holders to earn a living -- it could have been worse. Many in Congress were pushing for a quadrupling of the number of visas, so the resistance with help from NumbersUSA activists provided enough pressure to reduce the increase.

The provision also requires Sec. Kelly to consult with the Department of Labor to ensure that there are not enough American workers to fill the jobs that would be filled by foreign workers. This is mostly an empty gesture, but again, Congressional Leaders felt compelled to at least give the appearance that they care about protecting low-skilled American workers.

We've graded Congress for their votes this week, and you can view updated gradecards here: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/my/tools/grades

In advance of this week's votes, our Capitol Hill team sent the following message to all Members of Congress:

NumbersUSA is disappointed that the Omnibus, overall, does not support the President's immigration agenda. However, it is the provision (Sec. 543) that authorizes the Secretary of DHS to more than double the cap on H-2B temporary non-agricultural workers that leaves us no choice but to score against the bill.

Worse than the failure to support the agenda upon which the President was elected, this bill shows contempt for the forgotten Americans who suffered most during the recent recession. Not only is the H-2B program rife with abuse, just last year, the Economic Policy Institute reported that from 2004-2014, wages were stagnant or declining in all of the top 15 H-2B employment occupations. Further, unemployment rates increased in all but one of the top 15 H-2B occupations over the same time period, suggesting "a loose labor marketan oversupply of workers rather than an undersupply." It is shamefully ironic that the Honoring Investments In Recruiting And Employing American Veterans Act is being used as a tool to increase foreign workers.

Overall, the bill includes very few of Pres. Trump's immigration enforcement priorities. But it does include a significant increase in funding for Customs and Border Patrol of $2.3 billion (27% increase), and it provides $341 million to make improvements to existing fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

But the bill also adds an extra layer of scrutiny to the 287(g) program (a partnership between federal immigration agents and local law enforcement), and it changes the way that H-2B employers can calculate wages, which could depress prevailing wages.

In reviewing Trump's first 100 days last week, I noted that the President had made some strong gains on enforcement and had taken some good first steps in protecting American workers from foreign workers. The omnibus bill continues to make some small gains on enforcement, but is a step back on legal immigration.

Here is a new one: Amid foreign worker shortage, businesses turn to local labor

JEREMY beck

Fri, May 5th

Reports indicate that American businesses seeking guest workers may be suffering from their own lack of skills or initiative. But it turns out that hiring domestic workers is a job Americans will do.

Pew: The U.S. Has More Immigrants Than Any Other Country Thu, May 4th A new study by the Pew Research Center shows that the U.S. has more than 40 million immigrants, more than any other country in the world. It also takes in about one-fifth of the world's total migrants.

IG Report: DHS is Catching Less Than 1% of Visa Overstays Thu, May 4th A new report from the Inspector General shows that DHS is catching less than 1% of people who stay in the U.S. after their visas have expired. In 2015 ICE arrested only 3,402 visa overstayers out of the estimated 527,127, or 1 out of every 150 cases.

DOJ Releases New Report on Number of Incarcerated Aliens Tue, May 2nd The Dept. of Justice released their first report showing the number of foreign-born inmates incarcerated in federal U.S. prisons and their immigration status. This quarterly report was mandated by Pres. Trump in his Jan. 25 interior enforcement executive order.

99% Decline in Cuban Border Crossers in 2017 Wed, May 3rd The number of Cubans trying to cross into the U.S. has dropped 99% since Pres. Obama ended the "wet foot, dry foot" policy on January 12. This policy allowed any Cuban who touched U.S. soil to become a legal permanent resident and citizen.

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