U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Wednesday, 22 April, that he will be signing a 60-day ban on immigration into the United States. The move comes as the president deals with the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down numerous sectors of the U.S. economy, leading to rampant unemployment across the country.
“By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens,” Trump said at his daily coronavirus briefing on the evening of 21 April. “It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad. We must first take care of the American worker.”
That said, Trump did give some leeway in his order – over the next two months, only those seeking green cards or permanent residency in the country would be impacted. The move keeps the door open for workers with H-2B visas to enter the country. The visa program allows temporary workers in non-agricultural industries, such as seafood processors, to hold seasonal employment to help with peak demand.
Many in the seafood industry have not only called for the visas to be saved – they’ve also called on the program to be expanded. Industry officials say the current cap of 66,000, allotted in two portions of 33,000 over the two halves of the fiscal year, does not cover the true need for workers, especially as the seafood industry has to compete with other sectors – such as landscapers and seasonal resorts – to secure visas for workers.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would add 35,000 visas for the 2020 fiscal year, which ends in October. However, earlier this month officials from the department walked back that plan, citing “present economic circumstances” in a statement.
The issue of expanding the visa program comes up on an annual basis as lawmakers representing fishing interests across the country urge DHS to add more visas. While the department has typically taken that step in years past, agency officials have pressed Congress to pass legislation that would expand the program.
Photo courtesy of Evan El-Amin/Shutterstock
