President Donald Trump continues his campaign to rid the United States of foreign immigrants, this time targeting skilled foreign professionals applying for work in the country.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order suspending temporary visas for foreign workers until Dec. 30, 2020. The order applies to a number of work visas used for many types of jobs. The restrictions take effect June 24 and will make it much harder for immigrants to secure work visas. It will deprive 525,000 immigrants of jobs in the United States.
In April, Trump temporarily suspended immigration to the U.S. His new executive order extends this freeze and expands the list to include some guest worker visas. The extended freeze applies to H-1B visas designed for high-skilled workers (especially in the tech industry) and H-2B visas used by seasonal workers such as those in the construction and hospitality industries.
Other visas affected are H-4 visas given to spouses of H-1B visa holders; L-1 visas for executives that work for large corporations and some J-1 visas for scholars and professors.
The new executive order only applies to people outside the U.S. It doesn't apply to lawful permanent residents and spouses or children of a U.S. citizen. It also doesn't include individuals working in the food supply chain and individuals whose entry would be in the national interest.
The White House said the move will create jobs for Americans. On the other hand, critics say Trump is exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to to oppress immigrants.
Many U.S. firms, especially tech giants such as Apple, Inc, Google, Inc, Microsoft Corporation and Oracle Corporation that depend on skilled immigrants for a supply of tech employees, oppose the latest restrictions. The U.S. educational system can't supply the massive number of skilled tech workers needed by U.S.-based firms, hence the need to employ immigrants.
U.S. trade groups have long argued non-immigrant visas are key to sustaining the growth of the U.S. economy, especially now due to the economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump made immigration control one of the central platforms of his anti-immigrant government. The most visible manifestation of Trump's disdain for immigrants is the border wall being built along the U.S. border with Mexico. The new visa restrictions can be seen as another version of the Mexico border wall.
One analyst said suspending U.S. L-1 visa for foreign corporate executives will hurt the U.S. recovery from the pandemic. He said this visa is a crucial tool for growth and innovation.
