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February 6, 2017

Could an Exec. Order on H-1B Visas Keep U.S. Workers First?

Today the National Law Journal published an op-ed I wrote about the potential impact of a draft order tightening the temporary worker visa program.

Excerpt:

The direction of the skilled employment visa restrictions shouldn't be surprising. President Trump often decried the impact of immigrant labor on American workers. Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has done the same. In discussing immigration on his website, Sessions refers to "The Silicon Valley Hoax" of needing immigrant workers in the high-tech sector.

Trump's sentiments tap into a long history of immigration restrictionists, from the infamous Chinese exclusion laws of the late 1800s, claiming that immigrant workers undercut the wage scale and injured American workers.

Modern social science research, however, demonstrates that the economy generally benefits from immigrant labor and that, except for those without a high school diploma who see a small (1-2 percent) decrease in wages, wages are not depressed.

Visit the National Law Journal site to read the full op-ed.