Posted on 07/17/2017 10:28:17 AM PDT by GIdget2004
The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it would expand the number of temporary visas granted this year for workers in seasonal non-agricultural industries like tourism.
In a statement, DHS said Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly had consulted with Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and determined there were not enough “qualified and willing U.S. workers” to fill the needs of businesses.
“Congress gave me the discretionary authority to provide temporary relief to American businesses in danger of suffering irreparable harm due to a lack of available temporary workers,” Kelly said in a statement.
“As a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to supporting American businesses, DHS is providing this one-time increase to the congressionally set annual cap.”
The number of H-2B visas had been capped for this year at 66,000.
Businesses have been vocal in demanding an expansion of the H-2B program, saying there are not enough American workers to fill the temporary jobs they need to operate.
In February, Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's Florida resort, announced it would hire 64 workers under the program.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
So much for Americans first......
The employer who benefit from these visas should be made to show they have taken steps to attract local workers, including offering up to 50% pay increases, full benefits and bonuses before they’re allowed to employ a foreigner.
No more cheap labor.
If it’s picking grapes and strawberries who is gonna do it here? It takes a worried man to sing a worried song. No worries if you got Bernie fighting for you.
were not enough “qualified and willing U.S. workers” to fill the needs of businesses.
Flat out nonsense. There’s plenty for workers for the right price.
Millions are on welfare. They can work for minimum wage or above. No sense letting more able bodied go unproductive. Raise wages and prices if you have too, but no more subsidies for people who don’t belong here, don’t fit in culturally, educationally, or otherwise.
They won’t be placed in your hoods, sent to your schools . . but it’s fine to burden the rest of us with cheap-ass “workers” who will abuse the system, drop birthright “citizens” and enroll in welfare programs.
Oh yeah, and commit crimes.
All to save a few bucks. No thanks.
Agreed. Time to get our own people off the couch.
Cheap labor will hold down salaries. Sooner or later, though, the "$15/hr" idiots will move away from McDonald's and BK, and into the hospitality industry.
I wonder how much of this is fueled by the ObamaCare employer mandate? Dumping this atrocity might raise the number of hours local labor can work and bring them back to the table.
Decades ago California had a Bracero program. Seasonal workers came in and then went back home. If there is a labor shortage in a particular industry, I have no problem with temp workers if they go back home. CAVEAT: AS LONG AS THERE HAS BEEN A REAL EFFORT TO HIRE AMERICANS FIRST.
Article says non-agricultural.
I've met many of them in the last several years. They are invariably very nice, well groomed, and speak excellent English.
Nevertheless, where are the American kids? Why aren't our own American kids scrambling for these jobs. I suspect part of the reason is that these jobs aren't advertised in America, and that eastern European hiring agencies are contracted to fill the positions. Maybe American kids are also too wrapped up in Facebook to get off their butts.
However, I bet the opportunities for room and board are only available through the contractors and not available to American kids, which could be a show stopper. You can't really get by easily on minimum wage in a resort town in the summertime where apartments rent for $1500 or more per week.
And what passes for "American" kids now could be anything from an aspiring rapper gangsta, to cholo hustler, to jihadi in training. These are the people vacationers hope to avoid and escape from. The paying vacationer doesn't want to worry if the waiter is spitting in the soup.
Just further proof that the Trump administration does not have at its core a conservative philosophy. We all know that there is not a shortage of workers willing to do the jobs, it is a shortage of workers willing to do the jobs at the wages being offered. Raise the offered wages until the jobs are filled. It’s called a free market solution - simple and sweet and works every time.
One of the problems that American students run into with these seasonal seaside jobs is that too many schools and colleges start a week or more before Labor Day. These businesses need workers from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Yours sounds like a very reasonable approach.
The incompetent moron john kelly, head of DHS was a horrible pick. Kris kobach should have been selected. At least he believed in deporting illegals. Kelly is a clown and a hack. He was the general who retired with no notice when the military announced an investigation into the 30000 emails between him and the florida bimbo that he let have free run of the base he was in charge of in florida. Why trump,picked this scumball is beyond me. So, no, I’m not surprised he has let in more aliens to steal american jobs and have more anchor babies. This dirtbag should be fired.
Non-Americans to work in tourism jobs?
What does this do to MAGA? It undermines it completely.
Guest Managers are needed to replace current incompetent managers, including CEOs CFOs et al.
I have mixed feelings about this....a common complaint from business associates is the inability to find young service workers willing to work. Whiney millennials are below worthless....so employers turn to agencies for quality employees
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