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Trump Administration Makes 15,000 Additional H-2B Visas available
The Department of Homeland Security said Friday it would provide businesses another 15,000 H-2B visas to bring low-skilled foreign workers to the U.S. this summer, offering a modest infusion to the popular program.
The number of visas available each year for seasonal work is capped by statute at 66,000, evenly divided between the summer and winter seasons. Congress declined to lift that cap during negotiations this spring. It did, however, give the secretary of homeland security authority to issue up to 69,000 more this summer if she determines there is sufficient need.
A range of businesses—including fisheries, landscapers and those in summer tourist spots—have complained about worker shortages and have been waiting to see if Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will use that authority. But people who support restrictions on immigration, including some in the White House, argue that foreign workers drive down American wages and oppose additional visas.
Faced with a similar choice last summer, then-DHS Secretary John Kelly also provided an additional 15,000 visas but cast it as a one-time only move.
Also reported at:
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-makes-15-000-additional-h-2b-visas-available-1527279631
- https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/05/26/homeland-security-approves-15000-additional-h-2b-visas-to-bring-low-skilled-foreign-workers-to-us
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @06:37PM (8 children)
When I was young, I was too young to be legally hired by a company, so I started my own landscaping business. Cost of entry is very low, much lower today than what it was 30 years ago by about 4x inflation adjusted, plus I could, do in fact, make a living wage. Well at least I am living fine.
Today I can buy a mower for the equivalent of doing 10 yards (https://www.lowes.com/pd/Troy-Bilt-TB130-XP-160-cc-21-in-Push-Gas-Lawn-Mower-with-Honda-Engine/1000178355). Back in the 80's, I had to mow 40 yards to pay for my mower. If you can't be bothered enough to do just this for yourself, I have a very difficult time caring anything about you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @06:50PM (1 child)
Government has outlawed children from being employees, so children have a hard time learning how to become productive members of society.
Thanks, Obama.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @07:37PM
It was decades before Obama, Carter I think. I calculated last week that, inflation adjusted, I made over $17k before I was old enough to work.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @07:03PM (5 children)
Right, cause there are enough lawns for everyone to hop on this business plan. Hello jackass, welcome to your failing country which platitudes and boot-strapping can't fix.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @07:31PM (3 children)
FTFS you illiterate clod: "A range of businesses—including ... landscapers"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 29 2018, @11:46PM (2 children)
No matter how you want to look at it there aren't enough free-lance jobs out there. People are too poor to afford paying people to do all the small odd jobs around their houses. The middle class is gone so there much less opportunity in circulation. Business plans are great, but have you paid attention to the number of small businesses that go under? You can't predict with 100% accuracy whether a business will succeed, and often that happens even when the entrepreneur does everything right. So, how many poor people can afford to gamble a massive chunk of their tiny savings into even a lawnmower? Oh, and a shitty pickup so they can actually get to their clients? Same thing for most every profession.
Bring back the middle class and we can talk about this "just start a business" idea. You realize that means tax the FUCK out of the rich right? We also will need to implement massive regulations against big box stores in order to bring back small local businesses. Lots of things that ignorant fools such as yourself oppose (yes I'm assuming a lot about you) even though they would be beneficial to you!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 30 2018, @07:21AM (1 child)
Yes, you are assuming quite a bit.
Question: How much should a middle class job pay?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 30 2018, @04:32PM
The nice part is that if you just keep wealth inequality from getting too out of hand then the market actually can do a decent job of finding a decent equilibrium. I would like to put a hard cap on salaries like the highest paid person can't get more than say 50x total compensation of the lowest, but such limits have their own dangers.
The ideal middle class salary would depend a bit on location, but I'll take a stab at answering your question. The majority of people should be earning 60-100k per year.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Tuesday May 29 2018, @09:47PM
Some mow the lawns, that's so true. Let me tell you, the Obamas did terrible things to the White House Lawn. They call it organic gardening, I call it SUSPICIOUS. Possibly there's A LOT of bodies in that garden. And possibly Seth Rich -- true patriot -- is in there. What's left of Seth. The blood of patriots making it very "green." RIP!!! Maybe, probably not, the blood of tyrants too. Because maybe Crooked Hillary & the Obamas cut themselves. And I'm going to direct my FBI, my new FBI (w/Chris Wren), to look into that. Beautiful thing is, they don't need a warrant to look into that.
The Obamas tore up that lawn like nobody's business, believe me. And it was looking like it would cost a fortune to make the White House Lawn great again. Until I found Frank Giaccio, beautiful Italian boy, he's 11 years old and working very hard. I said, Frank, come and work for me at the White House, you'll be very famous. It's going to be great on your resume. And you'll get more pussy than you know what to do with. More than you can shake a stick at, as we say in New York, in the best parts of New York. Frank made my lawn look VERY NICE. Like you've never seen in your life. And he did it very cheaply, big saving for our taxpayers. Putting money back in the pockets of our middle class, our upper middle class, our upper class, our upper upper class and especially our corporations. Thank you, Frank!!
But there's so much work to do. The lawns are a big big part of it. But also fish. More and more people are working with the fish, they're doing an amazing job and they're being recognized more and more, I notice. And there's beef. A steer or a cow is HUGE, and we have so many of them. And every one gets cut up into little pieces. The steaks. People don't know this, I was very successful in the meat industry. I brought luxury to the world of steaks, I called them TRUMP steaks. Very classy. Unfortunately, not all the little pieces of steer -- or cow -- are considered steaks. So we cut those little pieces into TINY pieces. Which we call hamburger. Trust me, that's A LOT of work. Tiny pieces of beef, very big job making them. But it's worth it, am I right, folks? And what's a hamburger without tomato? It's still delicious. But less. The Japanese are the masters of hamburger, they make the best hamburgers. And they say the tomato brings umami. Very special word for delicious. So we need a lot of folks picking tomatoes. I call them tomato pickers. Lettuce, we have very special guys that pick the lettuce. And all the fish, all the beef, the tomatoes, lettuce, we can't just drop them on a plate and call it dinner. We need the cooks too. To make our food hot, to make it much safer to eat. And to make it look FABULOUS, that's so important.
And the nannies, the au pairs. So important for our children, for raising our children. I always prided myself on being a good father. With my children, I was always available. But believe me, I had a lot more fun making the than raising them. And the nannies have been such a blessing. And so many au pair girls go into our porn industry. Lots of great porn out their, the au pair girls are the greatest.
We're building a big, beautiful economy, folks. With millions of new jobs, so many different kinds of jobs, not just lawns & gardens. We're bringing in the best workers. And our stock markets are SCREAMING. Because of me. Because we're finally getting our border under control -- Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez, great example of that. And because we did the biggest Tax Cut in history. Very hard work over many years -- right up to the last minute -- by our Republicans in Congress, big beautiful signature by me. I signed it Donald J. Trump. My story is one of unimaginable sacrifice, hard work and faith in America. Just like our fabulous low-skilled foreign workers. And the folks that hire them. Who I always, always put first!! #Trump2020 [twitter.com]