Recently the current White House administration has restricted immigration access to certain kinds of immigrant workers through Proclamation 10014. This power is granted to the president through the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act which allows the president to restrict immigration in certain cases. The policy only lasts until December 31st, 2020, but it could be extended for longer and is subject to reviews by the Department of Homeland Security every 60 days to modify the proclamation. The details of the proclamation are that the issuing of H-1B, H-2B, J or L types of visas are to be suspended, but those that already hold these visas are not going to have them revoked. The H-1B visa is used for high-skilled workers who are seeking to work in the United States. H2-B visas tend to be used for more short term seasonal nonfarm workers. J-1 visas are for professors and exchange programs. L-1 visas are for intracompany transfers.
The reasoning for restricting immigration is based upon the principle that Americans should come first before foreigners when it comes to economic opportunity on American soil. This has been exacerbated by the coronavirus that has caused widespread economic damage and has left many Americans unemployed which is one of the reasons that the White House cited for this proclamation. Not only working-class families compete with these types of visa holders for jobs, but professionals do as well and therefore it was reasoned that by lessening the amount of these visas it would improve the job prospects for many Americans. The White House predicts that 525,000 jobs will be created or saved by this order.
The business community is upset about the changes as they argue it decreases the size of the pool for available candidates. They argue that by decreasing the amount of skilled labor the government is forcing businesses to take a loss in efficiency and that could hurt the economy substantially. Tech companies are especially affected by this proclamation and have been very vocal against the move even saying that they may need to evaluate alternative places to move their companies to. They also argue that there are certain jobs Americans typically don’t apply for and that visa workers fill these roles. Pro-Immigration advocates also came out against the order as being morally wrong and a poor decision economically. Investors are also skeptical as they see this order as reducing the competitiveness of American companies and may lead to a reduction of investment in American companies.
How Is This Relevant?
This topic is important to the average American as it affects the economy and unemployment which are things every American is affected by. The wide implications of the health of the economy are relevant and affect every American in what they buy and the opportunities that are presented to them. Which both detractors and supporters of the order argue that their side does better at providing opportunities to Americans and others abroad.
The supporters of the order fit their arguments into the conversation that the United States chief responsibility is to its people and citizens and should prioritize them. They would argue that they do not discount foreign potential, but that their first responsibility is to provide opportunity and economic wellbeing for their constituents.
The detractors frame their arguments more towards that we should strive to be as efficient as possible by hiring individuals who are the most suited to the position, but also that economic opportunity should be offered to everyone and not just for Americans. They also argue that this will lead to a better economic outlook for the United States.