LETTER: H-1B program is a sham
In your the Sept. 20 feature Washington Report, the Review-Journal included an article headlined, “Trump imposes $100K H-1B Visa fee.” Let’s be clear about what the H-1B program really is.
It’s no secret that companies, corporations and even farmers have long turned to cheap, unprotected labor, often undocumented workers, whenever they can. But the H-1B visa was created as a more “legal” way for corporations to import foreign labor. The stated intent, as you’ll find if you Google it, is: “To help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. workforce by authorizing the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorized to work in the United States.”
Sounds noble, doesn’t it? In reality, it’s been a racket from the start. I saw it firsthand in my years in organized labor. A friend at Disney — and workers at the company I was with — were ordered to train their own foreign replacements, knowing full well they’d be fired once those replacements were ready. The imported workers were underpaid and trapped; unable to quit or seek another job without risking deportation.
This isn’t “filling a skills gap.” It’s legalized exploitation, and it cheats American workers out of their livelihoods. The article you printed shows that this abuse is still alive and well.
And let’s not forget: the secretary of labor who oversees all this didn’t get there by accident.
