Posted on 03/10/2016 9:46:06 AM PST by ConservingFreedom
Donald Trump won the South Carolina primary across the board, but he did particularly well with the 10 percent of voters who named immigration as the nation's top issue. In addition, some who named other issues -- the economy, national security -- were undoubtedly also concerned about immigration, and Trump's hard line likely helped him with them, too.
Which is why people who follow immigration closely were stunned Thursday night when Trump, at the Fox News debate here in Detroit, announced that he has changed his position on one key element of the immigration debate -- the use of H-1B visas to bring skilled foreign workers into the United States.
In the distant past -- say, yesterday -- Trump focused on abuses in the system, in which some big companies have been caught using H-1Bs to bring in foreign workers, force American employees to train their own replacements, and then pay the foreign worker less than the American had made -- all to do mostly routine jobs in the tech industry.
At his recent rally in Alabama -- the one in which Trump received the endorsement of Sen. Jeff Sessions, Congress' strongest voice against expanding the troubled H-1B program -- Trump also won the endorsement of some American workers who were victims of H-1B abuse at Disney.
"The fact is that Americans are losing their jobs to foreigners," one of the laid-off workers told the crowd. "I believe Mr. Trump is for Americans first."
In Detroit, Fox News' Megyn Kelly pointed out that Trump's campaign website has a strong statement against increasing the number of H-1Bs, saying it would "decimate American workers," and yet in one debate Trump spoke favorably of the program. "So, which is it?" Kelly asked.
"I'm changing," Trump said. "I'm changing. We need highly skilled people in this country, and if we can't do it, we'll get them in. But, and we do need in Silicon Valley, we absolutely have to have."
"So, we do need highly skilled," Trump continued, "and one of the biggest problems we have is people go to the best colleges. They'll go to Harvard, they'll go to Stanford, they'll go to Wharton, as soon as they're finished they'll get shoved out. They want to stay in this country. They want to stay here desperately, they're not able to stay here. For that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to keep the brain power in this country.
"So you are abandoning the position on your website?" asked Kelly.
"I'm changing it," Trump said, "and I'm softening the position because we have to have talented people in this country."
Trump's turnaround sent a jolt through the group of policy wonks and activists who have opposed Gang of Eight-style comprehensive immigration reform. "I've heard from enough tech workers displaced by H-1Bs that Trump's apparent answer very dispiriting," tweeted the writer Mickey Kaus. "Clarification?"
Mark Krikorian, head of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors reducing levels of immigration into the U.S., was not impressed. "(Trump) made clear in October he didn't believe what's in his immigration paper about skilled immigration," Krikorian told me by email after the debate, "and at the last debate he showed he buys the 'jobs Americans won't do' line on unskilled workers too."
"So will he 'clarify' his 'I'm softening' comment tomorrow, like he did after the October debate?" Krikorian continued. "His embrace of foreign tech workers is particularly shocking given that just days ago he featured American workers replaced by Disney at one of his rallies."
Even as Krikorian was typing his email to me, Trump was at work doing just what Krikorian predicted. "Megyn Kelly asked about highly skilled immigration," Trump said in a clarification statement sent to reporters about an hour after the debate ended. "The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay. I remain totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements. I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions."
It would be hard to imagine a quicker or more complete flip-flop. [...]
IT IS LEGAL. What is it about legal immigration that is not liked here? We will STOP illegal Aliens — Not legal!!
So you are saying that Cruz and Trump hold the same position, and both want increased immigration and more H1-Bs. Good luck with that.
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/immigration-reform: "We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B program."
False. From https://www.tedcruz.org/cruz-immigration-plan/:
Amend the H-1B visa program to fulfill its original purpose: Work with Congress to pass reform legislation for the H-1B visa program that will:
"Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions Roll Out Antidote To Broken H-1B Program: American Jobs First Act" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3371276/posts
"Ted Cruz Explains why His Position on H-1B Visas Has Changed" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3376485/posts
Nope but you can assume whatever you wish.
Hope you have a very Happy March 15 :)
He stated the next morning that he wasn't talking about H-1B: "Megyn Kelly asked about highly-skilled immigration. The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration".
So what WAS he talking about? What's his new position and how was his old position different? Will he ever tell us?
Sure he will tell you. He will send specific proposals to Congress, as soon as he is sworn in.
So we have to elect the candidate to know what he believes - like passing the bill to find out what's in it, Ms. Pelosi?
Keep pushing the suggestion in your posts that Trump supporters are “low information” folks
So you don't want to talk about candidates' positions, but about who's being a big meany-pants. Got it.
You expect people to believe what’s on a Cruz website after his votes on Obama-trade? After he’s hired Neil Bush?
After him saying today, “Donald does well with voters who have relatively low information, who are not that engaged and who are angry and they see him as an angry voice.” You expect me to believe a thing he has on his website as gospel?
Have a nice day :)
“So you don’t want to talk about candidates’ positions,...”
Not when you are quoting a GOPe operative. Might as well post a link to Mitt Romney’s views on anything.
Have a great day :)
I think that is a good area for legislative review. I assure you that Trump did not preclude intelligent thoughtful review and modification on existing law. I know we are used to a President who is a dictator but if that is what you want, vote democrat.
Why change the law is he has no problems with what is being done under it?
Have a great day . Remember to vote for Bernie.
No idea. I didn’t see the debate. and I sure as hell wouldn’t take some hatchet job quote involving MEgyn Kelly as evidence of anything.
The quote I posted is from a couple days ago and seems to be consistent with everything else.
So what WAS he talking about, if not H-1B, when he said in last week's debate: "I'm changing it, and I'm softening the position"? What's his new position and how was his old position different? Will he ever tell us?
The quote I posted is from a couple days ago and seems to be consistent with everything else.
But it doesn't answer my question (which is about HIS words and not Megyn Kelly's).
In other words...trump is fine with status quo.
Trump. Sanders. To-may-to, to-mah-to. I'm supporting the conservative in the race, Ted Cruz.
Thanks for posting...If his stance had changed 2 years ago or even early on in the campaign, I might have had faith in these changes. However, I don’t now...to clarify:
He has very recently changed his position during the campaign, but he did not move on it for over 2 years...and I contacted his office. Others did too. BTW, the H-1B Visa program is only the tip of the iceberg...Seriously, the problem starts in colleges with the issuing of unlimited foreign student visas that enable business to hire foreign foreign grads at a savings over US citizens right after college—no H-1B visa required (he did not address that either). The entire program is corrupt.
Also, I am not sure I trust this change given his funding sources and his very recent pro-Obama trade votes which will likely override any comments he has made during a campaign. The trade votes are packed with immigration visa expansion...
Sessions went with Trump too. I am still a Trump first choice voter.
“In other words...trump is fine with status quo.”
_______________
I know you’re not that obtuse; and, you know I said nothing of the kind. The “status quo” has been abusive to what the intent of the H1B legislation stipulated. Trump is against that abuse.
I can’t help you beyond providing his unedited position.
You seem to want clarification on some out of context quote.
No the status quo is what you just described as you said that’s what they are doing now. So what would he do different than they are currently doing (based on what you described).
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