Meet Brett Samuels (the author of this mess of an article)
Posted on 12/29/2020 9:05:38 AM PST by NobleFree
President Trump is facing a fast-approaching deadline to extend an executive order he imposed earlier this year suspending various temporary work visas amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump is under pressure from some corners to extend the order into 2021, which would put pressure on the incoming Biden administration over whether to quickly rescind it. The president's advisers are said to be split over whether Trump should act, according to sources familiar with discussions.
Trump in June signed an executive order suspending the issuance of H-1B visas, H-2B visas, H-4 visas, L-1 visas and certain J-1 visas. The moratorium on new visas is in place through Dec. 31, meaning Trump has until Thursday to extend it or let it lapse.
Proponents of extending the visa suspensions argue the pandemic is ongoing, and some on Trump's team believe it would create a potential political headache for President-elect Joe Biden out of the gate. Trump may also be inclined to push through a few final policy measures before Biden takes office.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment.
The Trump administration initially justified the suspension by claiming it would free up jobs for Americans who were out of work due to the pandemic. But immigration had largely been closed off due to travel restrictions already, and many companies have said certain jobs that existed pre-pandemic will not be filled again.
Some conservative groups have pressured the Trump administration in recent days to extend the visa suspensions, however, arguing the economy has yet to fully recover from the pandemic.
Since Thanksgiving, unemployment claims have risen again above 800,000 as the number of coronavirus cases spiked, setting new daily records for infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
"Given that we are still in the midst of the worst economic crisis in living memory, extending the proclamation well into 2021 should be an easy decision," said RJ Hauman, head of government relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which sent Trump a letter advocating for an extension.
"The question then becomes this: will President-elect Biden immediately side with powerful business interests that continue to demand more cheap foreign labor?" Hauman said. "Or will he realize that high levels of immigration and guest worker admissions are an impediment to American workers recovering along with the economy?"
Biden has pledged to undo much of Trump's immigration agenda. He has committed to "immediately" reverse Trump's travel ban on several majority-Muslim countries, reverse policies that separate parents from their children at the border and order a review of the Temporary Protected Status program.
The president-elect has also vowed to restore refugee admissions to pre-Trump administration levels and reform the visa system.
The Biden transition team did not respond to a request for comment about whether he would rescind an extended suspension of temporary visas.
Should Trump extend his order, it would not sit well with business groups and even some Republican lawmakers who expressed disapproval when it was first announced in June.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups filed a lawsuit at the time, arguing that the U.S. has benefited from temporary worker visa holders and that the order would discourage qualified workers from coming to the U.S.
“Banning critical and skilled workers from entering the country was a mistake, and it disrupted manufacturers’ fight against COVID-19 at exactly the wrong time," Linda Kelly, the National Association of Manufacturers' senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement on Monday.
"Manufacturers’ legal case halted the ban and ensured we could continue leading our pandemic response and economic recovery," she added. "Any effort to extend this misguided and unlawful policy would only hamper recovery efforts and undermine innovation at this consequential moment in our nation’s history.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump ally who has been a proponent of immigration reform, said in June that those who believe work visas hurt the American worker "do not understand the American economy." Graham's office did not respond to a request for comment about a potential extension of the executive order.
Extend it....Jobs belong to Americans first. He did the right thing and for the right reason.
Claiming???? WTH? Who are these globalist twits anyway?
Republicans and Democrats must not think there are enough unemployed Americans.
The GOP puts the desires of globalist corporations and foreign nationals ahead of US citizens. This is why we need a NEW political party. Kill off the GOP.
You are correct, the right thing and for the right reason. If it does “create a potential political headache” for China Joe, that is icing on the cake.
>>>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump ally who has been a proponent of immigration reform, said in June that those who believe work visas hurt the American worker “do not understand the American economy.” Graham’s office did not respond to a request for comment about a potential extension of the executive order.<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can anyone, possibly, explain his theory of the American economy being helped by immigration?
Two things:
1. Yes, suspend it up to the dates of the midterm elections.
2. All the lobbyists and foreign agents interested in this matter, should be rounded up, as a matter of national security, considering visa’d workers have demonstrated that their real employment is espionage.
I have made a couple of tech help calls this month. The people in the Indian tech support centers are working. I did deal with a Delta faucet help person and she was American and working from home.
Kill democrats first, before killing GOP.
With democrats you will get even more cheap foreign workers, AND GET HIGHER TAXES.
Kill the GOP and start an America First Party. The GOP is beyond redemption. Supporting the GOP is sick, you are mentally ill if you still do that.
If a MAGA party takes root, I am on board instantly.
My point is not keep supporting GOP.
My point, in case you missed it, is that democrat party is much worse for middle class than anything GOP can or will.
Democrat party caters to 2 groups, those who depend on gov’t handouts, and the multinational corporations such as Google, FB, Microsoft, IBM, big pharma, etc.
Agreed, make Biden rescind it.
*IF* corporations were really being held back by a lack of employees with needed technical qualifications, *THEN* letting in foreign workers to to those jobs would help the economy and create jobs for Americans. And a few years ago a study by the corporate-backed AEI purported to show that this is exactly how it works in practice.
But the study was shoddy - and the truth is that foreign workers are substantially less skilled than Americans, but will work cheaper than Americans, and corporate globalists are happy to sacrifice long-term quality and stability for short-term savings.
And traitoirs like Linda Grahamnesty are happy to pocket globalist money and mouth their lies.
Trump damn well better extend them if he wants an army of patriots behind him. Those vicious, corporate sponsored American middle class kiĺler visas have done so much harm for decades. To reinstate them now after lost jobs,wages and even businesses in Covid shutdowns would be as stupid as Zero interest rates.
NobleFree, thanks!
Sad. Very sad, these people are in positions of gov!
Been wondering for awhile, if we have *any* elected officials anywhere near the caliber of the founding fathers?
See none!
God was good to America to allow them (Founders) to live, in the time they did, for which I am grateful!!!
Take care.......pilgrim
Thanks for the good news, FRiend!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.