Donald Trump Extends Freeze On Green Cards And Other Visas; Businesses Express Opposition

Donald Trump has extended a freeze on some green cards for new immigrants and suspended many other visas for foreign workers until the end of the year. On Monday, Trump inked an executive order suspending new H-1B, L-1, J and other temporary work visas for high-skilled tech workers, non-agricultural seasonal helpers, au pairs, and top executives.

The order will affect many Indian tech workers in the U.S. and seasonal workers in the hospitality industry. It will also restrict J-1 short-term exchange visas, a category that includes university students and foreign au pairs who provide child care, as well as L visa holders that include managers and key employees of multinational corporations. Professors, scholars, and immigrants and visa holders who are already in the United States will not be affected by the order.

The White House said the move would compensate for the adverse economic impact of COVID-19 on U.S. workers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. A senior administration official said Americans had been economically hurt by the pandemic and the move was the White House’s response to the job losses.

“Americans have been hurt through no fault of their own due to the coronavirus,” said the official. “And the president is prioritizing getting them back into the labor supply and getting them to work and standing on their own two feet again,” he added.

Despite that, many businesses that rely on foreign workers have expressed their opposition. The American Civil Liberties Union also accused Trump of taking advantage of the pandemic to set his immigration plans in motion. “It’s the exploitation of a pandemic to reshape immigration law, while superseding Congress,” said the Union.

Meanwhile, Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, commended Donald Trump for the move, saying the president was only trying to put American workers first.

“For the most part, the president withstood intense pressure from powerful business interests that continue to demand more cheap foreign labor, even as they have laid off an unprecedented number of American workers over the past three months,” said Stein.