Immigration restriction advocates are urging President Donald Trump to extend his restrictions on worker visas signed near the beginning of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and are due to expire this week.
Dan Stein, president of Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), implored Trump to extend his executive order signed June 22, which halted the so-called H-1B visas for skilled workers and the H-2B visas for temporary non-agricultural laborers. The justification was to limit competition for U.S. jobs during a time of record unemployment caused by economic impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
“Mr. President, putting American workers first has been your top priority, and (the June 22 executive order) did just that,” Stein wrote in a letter posted on the organization's website. “You 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. I urge you to extend this proclamation well into 2021 in an effort to further protect American workers and their families during these trying times.”
Trump initially signed an executive order in April that restricted green cards or visas for resident non-Americans, and expanded it in June to the H-1Bs – which predominantly affected technology workers, the H-2B seasonal workers, educational visas, and executive transfers.
Business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and companies like Twitter and Google decried the action.
With the expiration date approaching, Fox News reported that there was no indication the orders would be extended.
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