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- Jun 19, 2014
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It does get abused sometimes without doubt. But we must be careful (while reasonably reforming the program) to also preserve our dominance in the tech industry. It started here, and its best here. But I guarantee you that it could migrate elsewhere if the talent can't be found. Trump can threaten penalties against offshoring IT jobs if he wants. But its a simple system of supply and demand and planned economies don't work.ending h1b visas for foreign workers who are brought in to replace highly paid American workers would be a start but I am not holding my breath.
Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Is Using H-1B Visas To Pay Low Wages To Immigrants | The Huffington Post
What I think is much less debatable/grey is the need for immigrant laborers in certain industries like agriculture. Let's just pretend for a moment that tomorrow morning we wake up and all undocumented people are gone. We're all totally and incredibly screwed. What is needed is a well-regulated guest worker program, not a fence. Its just like marijuana. Make it legal and most of the shady stuff associated with it goes away. Why would somebody come illegally if they can come legally?
The sad irony of tightening up the border is that we are locking them in. Most migrant laborers want to return (to Mexico in the majority of cases) after the job is done. They used to do it all the time. They can't do that nearly as easily as they used to be able to do. So they stay. They have babies. They seek a path to citizenship. Because now they are disconnected from (Mexico) and their children are even more so.
The other sad irony of all this is who does the average "wall supporter" want to keep out? Suresh the IT guy, or Juan the tomato picker? Its Juan. And he isn't here on an H1B.