The Trump administration is considering reductions in the J-1 visa category, specifically the summer work and travel program. The program has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for increasing competition for American workers, especially teenagers, and this category’s high visa overstay rate.
Should American businesses work harder to hire teenagers who want the job? By giving businesses an offer they can't refuse, the U.S. government's answer is "no."
A $100 million dollar industry facilitated by the State Department gives employers a significant discount on foreign hires.
Our immigration system has been constructed as if employers should never hire teenagers again. If Andy Puzder were a teenager today, he probably couldn't get a job at Baskin-Robbins -- much less be entrusted with opening the store.
Congress continues to issue over 1 million green cards and approximately 700,000 temporary guest worker visas a year. The Senate immigration bill and its House counterpart would double those numbers, a fact that tends to go unnoticed in the media. I often wonder if immigration reporters and their colleagues who cover employment and the economy read each other's stories.
