Yesterday, DHS Secretary John Kelly testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the department’s FY18 budget and addressed concerns over increasing foreign worker visas, sanctuary cities, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). In his remarks, Secretary Kelly made it clear that the Trump Administration would put American workers first and that DHS will enforce federal immigration laws.
The Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced today that the agency will ramp of its efforts to protect American workers and more aggressively confront employers that are committing visa fraud and abuse. This release comes after the agency has completed the review of the H-1B and other foreign worker visa programs that was required by Pres. Trump's ‘Buy American, Hire American’ executive order.
Acting USCIS Director James McCament responded to a letter by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) stating that the agency has multiple investigations, “regarding the possible misuse of the H-1B program” by employers such as Disney, Northeast Utilities (Eversource Energy), and the University of California San Francisco. All three of these companies were highlighted in the 60 Minutes investigation on how American workers are being replaced by foreign H-1B workers.
According to DHS spokesman, David Lapan, DHS Secretary John Kelly has not made a decision to increase H-2B visas. This is a slight back track from the DHS Secretary’s initial statement on May 25, where he said he would likely grant the increase.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) recently sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to review the fraudulent payments made to illegal aliens under IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. The payments were made to those who apply the Additional Child Tax Credit which is made possible because the applicants do not have to submit their Social Security number.
The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ruled that guest workers seeking a H-1B visa based on their advanced degree must have earned their degrees from colleges that were accredited when they received their degree. This will stop the loophole that allows foreign workers to easily obtain an advanced degree from “diploma mills” in order to be eligible for a H-1B visa.
NumbersUSA recently sent a letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly asking him not to use the authorization, given to DHS in the omnibus, to approve more H-2B visas over the current 66,000 visa cap. In May, Congress passed the provision that would allow for another 70,000 visas to be issued in the current fiscal year.
The Census Bureau again found that Texas is leading the nation in population growth. NumbersUSA members know that translates into urban sprawl.
Yesterday, the Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 2431) was approved by the House Judiciary Committee by a 19-13 vote. The Davis-Oliver Act was introduced by Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) and would strengthen interior enforcement.
A Customs and Border Protection whistleblower turned over documents showing that under the Obama administration CBP officials released at least 16 teenagers they knew had ties to the deadly MS-13 gang. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said the documents showed that the teenagers were caught crossing the border in 2014 but then were shipped to juvenile homes across the country.