Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, urged Congress to block Pres. Obama’s new proposed rule, published on New Year’s Eve, that would bypass the per-country limits on foreign workers set by Congress. This new rule would make it easier for temporary foreign workers to stay employed in the U.S. and offer a fast track to permanent work permits. This would allow companies to continue to replace more American workers with cheaper foreign labor keeping wages stagnant.
Excerpts from Sen. Sessions’ statement are below:
“The President’s nearly 200-page rule bypasses federal immigration caps, increasing significantly the number of foreign nationals authorized to work in the country above the limits set by Congress. These lower-paid foreign workers will be able to take jobs in technology firms, neighborhood pharmacies, energy companies, local schools, public administration, civil engineering, and innumerable other professions both sought and filled by millions of Americans. Whether young American graduates seeking that first job, or longtime workers seeking that well-earned promotion, countless Americans will now find their chosen careers in jeopardy.”
“Here is how the scheme works: under current law, there is a statutory cap on the number of aliens who can receive green cards based on sponsorship from their employers, and thus a cap on the number who can receive the all-purpose work authorization those green cards provide. Under this new rule, the administration can bypass those caps with two easy steps. First, it would simply approve as many aliens as it wishes to seek green cards in excess of the cap. Then, it would give those workers – and their spouses and children – a renewable all-purpose work permit while they wait for their green cards to become available, nullifying Americans' statutory protections against job-threatening flows of excess foreign labor. Adding further to the pool of workers, it expands the number of H-1B visas exempt from the annual cap.”
“This lawless action comes at a time when immigration is already at an all-time high. The total foreign-born population is at record-breaking 42.4 million, having more than quadrupled since immigration caps were raised five decades ago. Excess labor supply has already helped drive down today’s median household income more than $4,000 beneath levels at the turn of the century.”
“Voters want immigration growth halted. The more the governing class ignore these demands, the more they lose their authority to govern.”
The new DHS rule was published in the Federal Register last Thursday with a public comment period running through the end of February. At that time, DHS must respond to every comment submitted before finalizing and implementing the rule.
Read Sen. Sessions full statement here.
