As American wages fall further behind inflation, the Biden administration is delivering a one-two punch to inflict additional pain with more reckless immigration policies.
First, as FAIR reported this week, the White House is seeking to open new extralegal pathways enabling foreign guest workers to gain permanent residence in this country.
Second, and just as irresponsibly, the administration has no plans to stop bottom-feeding employers from using temporary work visas to keep chipping away at Americans’ paychecks and job opportunities.
While allotments of H-2B visas for low- and semi-skilled non-agricultural workers are increased annually, enforcement of the government’s wage and hour rules in this category has deteriorated to the point of disappearing.
“The H-2B program’s wage regulations are allowing employers to legally undercut U.S. wage standards and underpay migrant workers,” Daniel Costa of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reported in 2021.
“In all but one of the top 15 H-2B occupations, the average hourly wage certified nationwide for H-2B workers was lower than the average hourly wage for all workers in the occupation nationwide.” This gives cheap foreign labor an advantage over American workers, especially in low-skill trades.
Promiscuous and unregulated use of the H-2B program has been criticized in countless other research studies over the years, with particular attention given to its deleterious effects on minority workers.
The situation has not improved...
A serious legal fight has now started, and it is pulling big names into the spotlight. Brian Harpole, who once handled security for Charlie Kirk, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Candace Owe...