Mark Thies, Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Clemson University, wrote an op-ed in the Greenville Online that disproved the idea that there is a shortage of American STEM workers available and he argued that bills such as the I-Squared Act, which Sen. Rubio supports, would destroy the already limited opportunities for American STEM students to find jobs in their fields.
As a professor, Mark Thies, noted that while STEM class sizes have increased over the years, wages for these jobs remain stagnant.
“Clemson’s engineering enrollment has reached almost 5,300 students – an 80% increase since 2008! In my 30 years of teaching, I’ve never seen classes so large – and so many bright students! Equally compelling data are stagnant STEM wages, with increases averaging a tiny 0.4% per year from 2000-2012.”
The Immigration and Innovation (I-Squared) Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Rubio, would increase H-1B visas from 65,000 to around 245,000 and offer foreign STEM students a lifetime work visa (a green card) that would displace American workers and keep future STEM wages low. It would essentially allow foreign student to “buy” a green card by attending an American University.
Mr. Thies made the case that increasing H-1B visas is all about providing corporations with a cheap labor market, not because there is an actual shortage of skilled STEM workers.
“Contrary to popular belief, there are no worker protections to prevent companies from firing American workers, replacing them with H-1B’s, and even forcing them to train their replacements (e.g., Disney). As pointed out in Trump’s on-line immigration plan, 87% of current H-1B holders are paid wages in the bottom third. Imagine what a quadrupling of these visas will do to wages! So this is all about cheap labor – not about top talent.”
Professor Thies said he would give Sen. Rubio an “F” for supporting corporate donors at “the expense of our own citizens.”
“Rubio was originally elected by the tea party, but this bill shows him now to be totally in the pocket of corporate donors. His second attempt to destroy the job prospects of America’s STEM students (his first attempt was in the now infamous “Gang of Eight” bill in 2013) earns him an “F” in my class anytime.”
You can read the full at Greenville Online.
